The Huge Magical Snake Problem
by MorningStar137
Summary: Harry Potter is having an absolutely brilliant summer at the Dursley's - as usual. His aunt and uncle seemed to be especially nasty to him, and the Dark Lord's nightly meetings haunt his dreams (due to the fact that he never truly recieved satisfactory Occlumency training). One night, Harry witnesses Voldemort make a huge mistake that would effect the rest of his life. NO SLASH.
1. The Beginning

"_Nagini, my beautiful sssserpent, we have a new missssssion."_ Voldemort circled around his followers, his snake slithering behind him. He couldn't see their faces, but he could sense that they were terrified. As usual. They were in a dark forest, illuminated only by his wand, giving out a faint white glow. It cast Voldemort's face in a menacing light, as well as the huge snake behind him. He gave a dark chuckle, and stopped before the robed figure he knew was Lucius Malfoy. "Lucius," he said in a menacingly soft voice. "Tell me again, what we will be doing."

Malfoy bowed his head, hiding his ornate mask under his robes. "We will be attempting to raid an Order house for information on the prophecy, my Lord." After he had said this, he knew the mistake he had made.

"Attempting, you say?" Voldemort asked, leaning in farther. "Oh, Lucius. You know that we will have no _attempting_ in the inner circle." He turned his back and looked around the ring of Death Eaters, his eyes resting on one follower taller than the rest. He trusted this individual, an honor not given to everyone. "Severus."

The masked figure inclined his head. "My Lord?" he asked seriously.

"Do you think it is appropriate to punish Lucius, here?" the Dark Lord asked him stretching out his wand hand.

"You shall do whatever you please," Snape said. Voldemort looked satisfied at his reply.

He spun on his heel to look back at Malfoy. He had a slight, sinister smile on his face. "I say that he deserves a _Crucio_. What do you think, Malfoy?"

The masked figure repeated after Snape. "You shall do whatever you please," but in a slightly shakier voice.

Voldemort hummed, his brow creasing in mock sympathy. He pointed his stark-white, bony-looking wand at him. He said softly, as if consoling a little child, "_Crucio."_

Miles and miles away from where that was happening, Harry Potter sat up, twitching from the aftereffects of the curse. His scar kept burning, and he shivered and pulled his meager blanket up to his shoulders. He was in his room, locked, of course. The place had a very small bed with the mattress' springs poking into him. The rest of the room was in no better condition, with the paint almost peeling off the walls and creaking floor. He stood up carefully, as to not let the floor make a sound, and took a pencil from the floor under his bed. He had told Hedwig to stay with the Weasleys', because he knew that the Dursleys would not let her out, like they'd done in previous summers. He also had a packet of notebook paper that he had snatched from the kitchen earlier this summer. Thankfully, no one had suspected it was Harry that had taken it.

He winced at this small movement. His Uncle Vernon had gotten a bit rougher with him, ever since Mad-Eye had told him to take good care of him. More like threatened him. It really wasn't serious, he thought. It wasn't like he went after him every night. Usually he just got a few smacks, and on occasion, a punch. Now that there was no looming threat of a 'murderous' godfather -Harry shuddered with guilt- it seemed like he was fair game to everyone.

He pulled out a new paper out of the pack. He had gotten a habit of writing down his dreams, so he could remember them later. Voldemort seemed to have stopped caring if he saw into his daily evil doings or not, thus resulting in dreams that plagued him every time he went to sleep. In earlier dreams, Harry had seen Nagini and he knew that she was at least his familiar. He wrote the dream down, making a point in underlining Snape's name. Harry just knew that he was a Death Eater! It was too bad he couldn't contact Dumbledore- he was probably being betrayed right this second! Harry slid the papers back below the bed, and climbed under his blanket. He needed to find out what was going on.

Voldemort was alone in a huge mansion. There was actually a roaring fire in the hearth in front of him. He was talking to his snake again, stroking down her back. She was twined around his torso. "_Nagini… did you hear what we will be doing tomorrow?"_

"_Yesssss…. I did. I think it issss a good idea. Although..."_ Nagini broke off, looking away.

Voldemort looked down at the ginormous snake. This was very unlike her. "_What is it?"_

Nagini looked straight into the Dark Lord's eyes. "_I know a sssnake den closssse to the housssse you are attacking. I would… apprecsssiate it if you were to leave them alone."_

Not much could surprise Voldemort anymore, but that request did. He tried not to show the shock on his face, and he hissed, "_Of coursssse, Nagini. I would never harm your brethren."_

The serpent looked satisfied, if that expression was even possible on a snake's face. "_Of coursssse, Masssster. You would rather harm yourssssself than me."_

He spared a rare, authentic empathetic expression down at her. "_That, my dearessst, issss very true."_

Harry spent the rest of the night in rare, restful sleep.

"Harry! Potter, you better get up right this instant! Dudley needs his breakfast in just a few minutes!" he heard his Aunt Petunia screeching outside his door. He heard the sound of a dozen various locks being opened, and she stormed back down the hallway and down the stairs. Harry groaned and sat up. At least Uncle Vernon had left for work already; usually when he was home during breakfast, he always found something wrong with his food, and that was an excuse to give him a well-placed slap. Harry got the paper out from under his bed and quickly scrawled down the dream he had.

Harry went to the bathroom, changed his clothes, and speed walked down the stairs. Petunia was rushing around the kitchen, preparing pancakes for his cousin.

"You took too long up there! You ungrateful little brat! We provide for you, and this is how you repay us? I had to start making breakfast!" Harry refrained from telling her that she _had_ locked him in there.

Harry took the skillet from his Aunt, and resumed making breakfast, ignoring Petunia's cutting remarks. _Man,_ he thought. _At least I have some great practice ignoring insults, thanks to Snape._ Then, that led him to think about the second dream he had the night before. Voldemort had seemed almost… kind… to his snake. He wondered why. He had thought he had no capacity for consideration for anyone besides himself.

Harry got yanked out of his thoughts by Dudley coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Potter!" he shouted, and yanked Harry's hair. Bacon grease splashed on his arm, making him yelp. Dudley grinned like he had just won an award for Smartest Person on Earth and made his way to the table. Harry glared daggers at him, and he just laughed back at him. Ever since Vernon had started beating on Harry, it was like Dudley had gotten an extreme ego boost, not like he needed one. That kid already had pride the size of Voldemort's snake.

_Hmmmmm… Voldemort's snake._ Harry delved back into his deep thoughts. She seemed happy enough with the ever-so-evil Dark Lord as her "master." _Then again_, Harry thought, _they are kindred spirits._ (A/N: No pun intended.)

Harry eventually got done with preparing breakfast, and he set it down on the round table. Dudley, upon seeing the food, lunged across the table to grab at the bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Well, he lunged as well as he could, him being the size of the average baby killer whale. Harry typically didn't get any food, but he was expected to do an entire list of chores that his Aunt handed him every day.

Dudley pounded his fork and butterknife on the table in a display of awful manners, and demanded another serving of bacon. His cousin had already scarfed down what could have sustained a small family. Harry reluctantly placed another full plate at Dudley's spot, and he gobbled that up as well.

Harry wandered back to the kitchen, deep in thought. He seemed to do that a lot these days, it took his mind off more pressing matters. Like, his living conditions. Not that they were too bad, he wasn't implying that, of course. He set to work cleaning the dishes, running the sink until the water was hot. He washed the multiple plates Dudley had eaten off of in the duration of the meal.

Eventually, he got done with the plates and pans he had used while making the meal, and Aunt Petunia beckoned him over to the table again. She handed him a meager strip of bacon, and shoved at him a list of the chores he was supposed to do that day. "Now, I don't want to even _see_ you relaxing until you've completed this list." Harry nodded meekly and took the list of chores from her. Now, this may not seem like Harry Potter at all, but he usually didn't get anything for breakfast, much less a piece of bacon. He must have a lot to work on today.

Harry spent the rest of the day mowing the lawn, pruning the bushes back, mopping the kitchen, watering the indoor plants, washing the car, putting up the dried dishes from earlier, vacuuming the lounge, cleaning the windows (even though they were spotless in the first place), making lunch, doing the laundry, scrubbing the baseboards, and dusting the furniture. By then, it was dinnertime, and he had just managed to sneak a drink of water from the hose outside a few times.

As Harry was setting the table for dinner, Vernon came home. He glanced at Harry, who was retreating back into the kitchen, and said, "Boy, if there's a spot of dirt left on those walls, you'll wish you were never born." Of course he was bluffing, intimidation was all he understood, and Harry knew that. He started cleaning the dishes, again.

As you can probably see now, Harry's summer so far was one huge cycle of wake up, work, clean dishes, work, clean dishes, work, go to bed, dream disturbing things, repeat.

As he was working on a stubborn stain on one of the pots he had used to warm up the chicken noodle soup he had made yesterday, his Uncle stormed over, grabbed him by the hair, and yanked him up to look at him. _What is it with people and my hair, today?_ a corner of Harry's brain supplied while Vernon was roaring in his face.

"Why did you heat up leftovers from last night?" he yelled. "You know that you need to cook new things every. Night!" He slapped a hand over his cheek, leaving a stinging path across his face. Harry stood stock-still as he raged about how they took him in and supplied for him, and this is how he repaid them? Yeah, typical stuff.

Although, he did seem a bit angrier than usual. Maybe he had scalded the bottom of the soup, making it taste a bit burnt? Who knew.

Soon he did know the answer, because it was quite literally in his face. "I DIDN'T GET THAT PROMOTION TODAY BECAUSE YOU KEEP ME UP WITH YOUR SCREAMS AT NIGHT!" Oh, that. Occasionally, when his dreams were particularly horrific, and it didn't wake him in time, he woke up screaming hysterically. That… that was the only time when Vernon really started punishing him. Not like he deserved it, but still.

Vernon shoved Harry back onto the counter, and said menacingly, "Boy, you're going to get the beating of your life." He stalked (more like waddled) back to his chair at the table, and resumed eating his soup with a sour look on his face. Yeah, sure. Like Vernon would scrounge up the energy to truly _beat_ him.

Harry let out a small breath and turned back to the sink. He resumed the monotony of cleaning the dishes, pensive, again. Thinking about his dreams caused him to think of Snape and his Occlumency lessons. His professor seemed to be on his mind a lot, but not in a positive way. His mood darkened even further, and he scrubbed at the pan with even more vigor. If he had just _taught_ him instead of screaming in his face that he was supposed to "_Push him out,"_ then he might not be having these dreams.

Harry choked back a sob. He might've still had Sirius.

But, who was he kidding? It was his fault, too. If he had just not reacted to his stupid, god-forsaken hero complex, he wouldn't have drawn his godfather to the Department of Mysteries.

It hurt to do so, but Harry pushed those thoughts to the back of his head. He didn't need to get depressed. It wouldn't do him or anyone else any good. He set the pot on the rack, giving up, and he trudged upstairs.

"Go take a shower, boy! You smell like we don't take care of you!" Vernon shouted up the stairs. Harry had to hold in a snort of dark humor at that statement. Like he had ever cared about him. Harry hadn't had a shower in a few days, and most likely, Dudley had complained about the smell, and he got the privilege of washing up.

He entered the bathroom and peeled his sweaty, dirty clothes off his body. He climbed in the shower, relishing the cool water. He scrubbed the grime off of him and rinsed out his hair. This process only took about two minutes. Even so, Vernon was waiting for him outside the door. The bad part was, Harry was only wearing a towel around his waist. He scowled down at Harry and growled at him, "You took too long in there. Get some trousers on. Leave your shirt off."

Harry blinked. That sounded ominous…


	2. Attack on the Wolf

Harry tried to keep calm as he stumbled in his room after his Uncle, who was pulling him by the ear. "I'm tempted to not let you get dressed, boy!" Harry pulled on a pair of trousers he had worn earlier in the week. He backed up until his bare back hit the far wall next to his bed and gazed nervously up at Vernon, who was obviously upset. He pounded over to where Harry was and grabbed him around the neck, and threw him face-first onto the bed.

Yeah, he was definitely starting to panic. Harry heard a belt being drawn out of the loops, and the rattle of the metal at the end. He then heard the whistle of the belt until _crack!_ the belt split his back, and Harry bit his tongue to keep from crying out. Vernon growled at the response, and lifted the belt up again. Harry tried to fight back, but Vernon kicked his thigh and calf twice, making him collapse back onto the bed. What on earth was this?!

By the time his Uncle had stopped, his mouth was bloody from biting his already ragged tongue. Harry gasped out in pain, almost choking, and he could almost _smell_ Vernon smiling evilly. At least it was over. Well, turns out he was mistaken. Vernon flipped Harry over, harshly turning him over on his tattered back, causing him to gasp and hiss. He raised the belt again, and started going at it again, just over his chest. This time, he did cry out in pain, every time. He didn't take so long on that side, because he was screaming out in agony. Obviously, his chest was more sensitive than his back.

Eventually, the beating abated, and Harry took rough, obstructed breaths through his mouth. "You deserved that a long time ago," Vernon snarled. He sounded a bit tired, from his arm swinging like that. Harry shivered uncontrollably, crawling over to the back corner of his bed. He curled up into a ball, not even daring to glare at his Uncle.

Vernon stomped out of his room, slamming the door closed behind him, and locking the door. Harry heard him storming down the steps through the rushing of blood in his ears. He seemed to have lost his glasses, and everything was blurry. Harry whimpered in agony at his cuts and bruises complaining at being stretched, and uncurled just a bit. Oooh, the pain! Harry hissed in another breath and determinedly laid down on his side, his back facing the door. Vernon never had gone this far, before. He had always stopped before he had broken skin and drawn blood. Now, Harry could feel it dripping down from his back and chest onto his mattress.

Harry pulled in another sharp wheeze when his scar gave a particularly nasty twinge and started burning in harmony with the rest of his back.

It seemed like the only way to get out of the pain was to sleep. He pulled his blanket, which was now bloodstained, up over his shoulders and closed his eyes. Eventually, sleep did claim him, in a haze of red.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Immediately, his dreams centered around Voldemort and his Death Eaters, which were a whole lot. It seemed like he had gained a lot more followers than what he had at the last Triwizard Task. He seemed to be in a large, ornate dining room, that was dark and gloomy, of course. He was watching everything out of the Dark Lord's eyes, and he was speaking to the group as a whole.

"Today, my Death Eaters, we will be attacking an Order member's house. We had managed to get the location after someone faithful managed to… convince… another person to tell us where we were supposed to be going." He smiled nastily at someone Harry presumed to be Bellatrix Lestrange. "This will bring a great blow to Dumbledore's side, for the home we are attacking is owned by none other than one Remus Lupin."

At that statement, a lot of the Death Eaters sat up straighter, and one howled. Harry guessed that one to be Fenrir Greyback. He remembered someone in the Order mentioning him and his non-human qualities, how he was more wolf than human. This was bad! Really bad! Remus was about to be attacked and he couldn't do-

"Although," Voldemort stated, garnering everyone's utmost attention, "there is… a snake den, close to the house." Nagini curled up around his torso at that statement, tongue flicking out at the surrounding robed figures. "If anyone is to harm a scale on their back..." everyone waited raptly. "Nagini has my permission to eat them alive."

It seemed like the whole room froze. Well, more so than it was already. Voldemort tilted his head, as if waiting for a response.

"Yes my Lord," rang through the cavernous space.

"Good. Now that we have that understood, let us apparate to 3487 Forestdale Drive, in Yorkshire." Voldemort stood up, and as if that were a cue, everyone else did as well. Harry felt like he was on the verge of another panic attack. Then, it seemed like someone was shaking him in real life. No! He needed to see the rest of this dream! He needed to see what happens to Remus!

But, no. Harry woke with a pitiful moan, and the hands shaking him were retracted immediately. He curled up on his side, and a voice behind him said, "Harry, I have to help you clean up your cuts. They could get… infected."

Harry recognized that voice… Dudley! Harry started. What on earth was he doing here? Was he hallucinating? Harry got up on his elbows and flipped around with some difficulty. Nope, he wasn't hearing things. There he was, in all his fat glory, sitting there with a pile of rags and a bucket of water. He was in his pyjamas, his typically perfect hair mussed up.

What the heck?

Harry voiced his shock. Dudley just looked him straight in the eye and said, "Harry… I heard you screaming up here when Dad came up and… yeah. It's just that… you've never screamed, and I thought you must be getting a lot worse than you usually do." He took a deep breath, as if saying that took all his physical power. "I snuck downstairs to get this, and came back up to see you… and maybe help you?" he stated as a question. Harry nodded for him to continue, though that movement caused his back to twinge painfully. "Well… I didn't expect it to be this bad…" he trailed off.

Harry grunted as his scar felt like it was being carved into his forehead again. That reminded him that he _needed_ to get back to sleep to see what Voldemort and the Death Eaters were doing to Remus' house. Harry lowered onto his chest, closing his eyes.

Dudley mistook that for just plain pain and said, "Oh! I'm sorry, let me get this rag wet." Sorry? When did Dudley ever say sorry? _Well,_ his brain supplied, _when has Dudley done anything to help you remotely?_ That was a good question.

When he placed the freezing cold rag over Harry's back, he gasped and arched his back from the temperature of the cloth and the pain it brought with it. It seemed like he wasn't going to get to sleep any time soon. Dudley sighed heavily and said, "Harry, I have to do this. You might get infected if I don't."

"I know that, it just hurts, and I need to get back to sleep!" Harry hissed angrily, curling his fists in his crusty blanket and turning to look at Dudley again.

He just stared at him. "What?" Dudley asked, bewildered.

"I was having a very important dream!"

"What? Why was it important?"

Harry pressed his face into the mattress, exasperated. "What you need to know, Dudley, is that, well, I have a mental connection with a certain Dark Lord, yes, the same one that killed my parents!"

"Why was it important?" Dudley repeated.

It was Harry's turn to sigh. "I was seeing Voldemort attack one of my friend's house." Dudley gasped.

"You mean… when you were screaming at night… you weren't… you know, having normal nightmares? You were seeing things? That were actually happening?"

"Yeah, usually Voldemort's torturing one of his victims when I wake up crying out," Harry said casually, flicking his wrist.

That just horrified Dudley even more. "What?!" he almost yelled.

"Shhh! Shh, keep it down!" Harry whispered. "Your mother and father might hear us!"

Dudley swallowed and nodded. "Sorry, I'm just not used to this."

"Understandable. Now, can you _please_ get a move on, cleaning my back and chest so I can get back to sleep?"

"Oh. Oh, yeah. Wait, chest? I didn't see that."

They spent the next several minutes wiping the blood off of him and cleaning the wounds. About ten minutes later, they were done, and Harry shooed Dudley out of the door. "Dudley, you have to go. I really appreciate what you've done, but I don't want either of us getting in trouble for this, and I need to get back to sleep."

He nodded, and closed the door, locking it to make it look like no one had came in. Harry turned over on his side again and curled up under his blanket.

HPHPHPHPHP

Soon, sleep came to him, and immediately, his mind went to Voldemort's. He was standing in front of a burning cottage. _Oh, no!_ Harry thought. _Remus… _Harry was too late. He had not seen the destruction. Out of the corner of Voldemort's eyes, Harry saw Nagini slither out from around the house.

"_Sssso warm, ssssso bright. You kept your promisssse, massssster, no one hasssss touched my brethren."_

"_Yesssss, my beautiful. I would never lie to you,"_ Voldemort hissed fondly. They both turned away from the house, which was burning to the ground. Suddenly, shouts and yells filled the air. Both whipped around and saw many people that were NOT Death Eaters running around. Spells were being thrown and the house was being doused with water.

"No, no, no!" Voldemort yelled. Everything was going wrong! How did the Order know? Did he have a spy amongst his ranks? If he wasn't mistaken, the werewolf hadn't even been killed! Yes, there he was! Harry lost track of what were his thoughts and what were the Dark Lord's.

Voldemort started after Remus, who was running into the forest, for some reason. "_Avada kedavra!"_ Voldemort screamed. He missed. What? It had been ages since he had mis- cast a spell. The stupid werewolf was running farther and farther into the woods, Voldemort pursuing him. Remus stopped eventually, keeling over in exhaustion.

Voldemort, who was out of breath himself, raised his wand again, and Nagini, who had slithered alongside him said, "_Masssster, massssster, NO!"_

"_BOMBARDA!"_ Voldemort screamed, while his snake was still hissing, "_No… no..."_

Remus leapt aside as the ground around him erupted. Hissing and spitting broke out as soon as the forest floor settled. Voldemort looked around for the source of the intelligible noise, and his eyes rested on his serpent, Nagini.

"_Nagini, what hassss you sssso agitated?"_ Voldemort was extremely confused. He didn't like that, it always made him feel helpless. At least the werewolf was nowhere to be seen.

"_You. Never. Break. Your. Promisssssesssss."_ the snake seemed to be angry at him!

"_You're right, Nagini, my precioussssss." _Voldemort probably didn't know he was quoting a muggle movie.

"_Don't call me that, you egg cracker! You sssssaid that you wouldn't harm my fellow sssssnakessssss!"_ Nagini accused.

Voldemort's brow creased. "_I didn't, ssssssnake,"_ he hissed angrily. How dare she speak so disrespectfully to the greatest wizard of this age, perhaps ever? Then he glanced back at the ground he had blown up. There were carcasses of huge snakes lying around the hole in the ground. Oh, no. Nagini's brethren…

"_Promisssesss..." _whispered his snake, rearing back. The Dark Lord then remembered what promise he had made Nagini. He had said that she could eat anyone that had even gotten close to them!

"_My snake,"_ Voldemort started. "_I do not want to hurt you, but you will force me to if you try to bite me."_

Nagini stood so tall she could see straight into the Dark Lord's eyes. "_I. Don't. Care. Do your worst, you oathbreaker."_

Voldemort wasn't hurt in the slightest. He wasn't capable of love, so all he felt was anger. Harry's scar burned in his head. "_How dare you!"_ Voldemort shrieked. "_Apage anguis!"_ he screamed, causing Nagini to warp in on herself and vanish completely.

Voldemort then fell on his knees, screaming angrily into the sky. Harry's scar was now feeling like a hot iron was repeatedly pressing in on his head, all he knew was pain.

He was still screaming when Uncle Vernon woke him up.


	3. The Huge Magical Snake

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BOY? WHY DO YOU ALWAYS WAKE THE WHOLE HOUSE UP?" his Uncle roared, yanking Harry's blanket off his shoulders and shaking him. Harry was completely awake at that point, scrambling backwards, his back hitting the window. It had now mostly scabbed over, but it was still agonizing for it to bump against the hard surface. At least the window was cool against the damage.

The streetlight projected Vernon's face in angry lines almost as terrifying as… oh, yeah! Voldemort! The dream! Harry's thoughts in the back of his head thought about what had happened to Nagini.

The forefront of his brain, however, was focused on the massive man standing in front of him, his hand reared back. Harry flinched, his spine thumping against the window again as he tried to avoid the hand coming down to slap him. He couldn't get away from it, though. A resounding _smack_ filled the relative silence, save for the harsh breathing and slight whimper that Harry gave when Vernon kicked his chest with his sock-clad foot before leaving the room.

Harry sat up carefully and assessed his condition. The wounds on his chest were open again, but that was to be expected after a blow like that. Then he touched his cheek, which was tender after the slap he had received. Harry let out a sigh through his nose and grabbed for the paper and pencil.

It seemed like Remus had survived, but Harry couldn't be sure until he saw him again. But what was that thing with Voldemort and Nagini? Why did Nagini attack her master? I mean, even if they were her nest-mates that he had accidentally killed, why did she react like that? Harry then reevaluated her situation. Harry thought about the person closest to him… Sirius, even though he wasn't alive anymore. What if Dumbledore had to attack a Death Eater house close to Grimmauld Place, and he had promised that Sirius would come to no harm, then he had unintentionally killed him? Yeah, he would've done a slight bit more than wrecked his office. He probably would have denounced his name and vanished off the map. He wouldn't have tried to kill him, but then again, Harry didn't have the mindset of a snake.

Harry got finished with writing the dream down, and laid back on his side, now facing the door. His scar wasn't searing anymore, just a faint throb. He had no doubt that Voldemort was still quite angry, he was just occluding his mind. He didn't expect to have any more dreams that night, and for once, his prediction was correct. He slept soundly that night, with the exception of a nightmare of the scenario he had imagined earlier, with Dumbledore turning into Bellatrix Lestrange and _Avada kedavra_-ing Sirius, him falling back into the Veil.

That was just normal dreaming though, since he woke up and his scar wasn't even tingling anymore.

Harry woke to the sound of something tapping his window. He blinked the fog from his eyes as best as he could with his glasses missing. He squinted and leaned close to the portal, but it was still just a blur. Harry sighed, got out of his bed, and crouched down on the floor, searching with his hands for his glasses. A few seconds later, his fingers brushed against something metallic and he grabbed them and pushed them on his face.

By then, the tapping had resumed. Harry turned to the window again, and what he saw made him stumble backwards, covering his mouth and holding his breath as to not yell.

There she was, Nagini, in all her snakey glory, coiled around the bars on his windows! His Uncle had them put there again that summer, with the excuse that he hadn't learned his lesson last time they were there.

She was obviously not small enough to fit through the bars, which was saying something. It was one thing to see the snake in a dream, but another thing entirely to see the serpent in real life. She was huge! She had twisted the metal like a twizzler (muggle candy, to those who don't know), and was still tapping on his window.

Harry looked around quickly, frantically wondering what he should do. He then held his hands up, signalling that she should be quiet. He bit his tongue, wincing, and made the decision to let her in. He ignored the little voice at the back of his head that said that this could be the last decision he ever makes.

He rushed back over to the window, sitting on his knees on his bed, and unlocked it. He slowly slid the window up, warily looking at Nagini. She nodded, and gracefully slid into his room. Yes, all ten feet of her. Harry scrambled back, feet hitting the floor. It was a feat within itself that the serpent didn't make a sound as she adjusted herself on his bed. While Nagini was coiling up, Harry took a gulp of air, wondering if he had just made a fatal mistake.

Harry didn't have much time to ponder this, because she came up to eye level and took a long look at him. He wondered if she wanted to talk to him, or what.

Nagini was the first to speak. "_Are you the one named Army-Leader Potter?"_ Then she blinked and looked down. "_Wait, you don't ssssspeak parsssseltongue like my… previousssss massssster."_

Harry swallowed and said, "_Who told you I don't? My name is Army-Leader, not-"_ he broke off as he heard his name in parseltongue. Huh.

The serpent started and her head shot up to look at the young man. Her eyes widened, if that was even possible for a normal snake. "_You do?"_ She sounded relieved. "_That makessss things a lot easssssier."_ Then she shot her head forward, startling Harry. "_Child, lissssten to me. The Dark Lord is an evil excussse for a human, and I decsssided not ssssso long ago that I would not be a ssssservant to sssssomeone who killssss sssso ruthlessssly. You have to believe me!"_ the snake begged.

Harry sighed and put his head in his hands. "_Calm down, I do."_

Nagini looked shocked. "_You do? Why?"_ she asked, bewildered.

"_Because I ssssaw the lassssst interaction you had with The Forsssssaken One."_ Voldemort's name came out like that in parseltongue, for some reason. "_Of courssse, you know that your 'previoussss masssster' has a mental link to me, right? And I sssee what he does every night?"_

She blinked. "_No, I wassss never informed of thisssss."_

By then, it seemed that Nagini meant no harm, and Harry sat down next to her on the bed. The snake then slithered and toward him, nearly making him jump up in fright.

"_Relaxssss, child. I do not bite. Well, I don't bite anyone who doesssssn't kill your brothersssss and ssssisterssssss."_ Her head wrapped around his torso, followed by the rest of her body. Well, half of it. The other half was draped across his lap. "_Sssso warm… you are more warm than The Forsssssaken One ever wasss."_

Harry slowly, but surely, relaxed. Then he thought of a question to ask Nagini. "_What was that spell The Forsssaken One used to send you away?"_

Nagini looked thoughtful. "_To be honesssst, I have no idea what it wass. I don't undersssssstand human-talk, but I think it wasss sssssomewhere along the linessss of 'begone ssssnake.' I do not know any of thesssse thingsssss called… sssspellssss. It all sssssoundsssss like rubbish to me, but it obviousssly doessss ssssomething to your glowy-sssstickssss."_

Harry almost laughed at the snake's word for wands. He laid down, making sure he wasn't hurting the serpent.

"_After my former masssster casssst the ssssspell on me, it felt like I was… what isss the word? Ah, yesssss. Apparating. Then, I ended up at a very familiar place. I wasssss at the enterance to your neighborhood. Did you know that one of the Dark Lord'ssss favorite passsst timessss issss wandering around thissss neighborhood, trying to find your housssse? We- exssscussse me, they- haven't been ssssuccessssful yet for ssssssome reasssson."_

Harry wasn't stupid enough to tell he snake the reason why, with the blood wards and his mother's love. Instead, he just hummed and said, "_Who knowssss why."_ Of course, this was the same person who had said snake wrapped around his entire body. Then Harry looked up at the ceiling. He decided to tell a half truth. "_Well, there are ssssome wardsssss around my housssse that keep out anyone who meansssss any harm. You obviousssssly don't, sssssince the wardssss let you in."_

Nagini looked happy. She adjusted her jaw, and Harry tried not to think about what she probably ate before she came here. She laid her head down on his chest and closed her eyes. "_I am ssssorry, your heat issss just making me exssstremely ssssleepy."_

"_Don't worry about it,"_ Harry said. By then, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Uncle Vernon would be leaving for work about now, and in about an hour, Petunia would wake him up. He probably wouldn't get back to sleep, sadly.

Turns out he was wrong. Having a heavy weight above you that reflected your heat back at you better than a worn out blanket sent you to sleep faster than you'd think.

Soon, his Aunt was rapping on his door, telling him to go downstairs to make breakfast. That startled Nagini, making her muscles jump. That woke Harry up immediately, just stopping from hopping up in surprise.

Nagini hissed. "_Army-Leader, one glimpsssse of me, and they will not be asssssking you to do that,"_ he snake said.

Harry shook his head, looking into her yellow eyes. "_No, I like making breakfassssst for them."_ That was partially the truth. He didn't particularly like making food for the Dursleys, but he did enjoy cooking in general. Harry had a feeling he would be proficient at potions if Snape taught the class better.

Nagini hissed softly and started uncoiling herself from his body. "_Okay, I will be waiting for you here."_

"_Jussssst a fair warning, though, I come back late in the afternoon."_

Nagini slid to the floor and went into a corner. "_Yessss, I undersssstand. I cannot thank you enough for believing in me when I told you I had changed sssssidesssss."_

Harry nodded. "_Yessss, but I have to get to work now."_

"_Goodbye, Army-Leader."_

Harry speed walked to the bathroom, did his business in there, and rushed down the stairs, making as little noise as possible. Aunt Petunia was sitting at the table, reading the paper that Uncle Vernon undoubtedly saw earlier. On the front of the page, it said:

**Chaos in Yorkshire**

_**Cottage burns to the ground; firemen baffled!**_

There was also a picture of Remus' house, burning embers on the ground. Harry didn't know why the firemen were so confused, but he guessed it was because the fire seemed to have put itself out. At least, that was the most plausible explanation. He got to work making breakfast again, ignoring the way his wounds cracked and started bleeding freshly with the exertion of bending down to get a pan and start a meal. In no time at all, he had food on the table. Dudley wasn't even downstairs yet!

Sure enough, a few minutes later, his cousin trundled noisily down the steps. "Potter!" he yelled. "You got breakfast ready?"

Harry nodded, his brow creased. Had last night been a dream? Dudley had seemed tolerable enough the night before.

Before walking to the table, Dudley brought himself to the kitchen and whispered close to him, "Sorry. Mum would get suspicious if I was actually decent to you."

"Yeah, that does make sense."

Dudley went over to the table where his mother set down the newspaper and immediately started fussing over him. Dudley preened under the attention he was getting, gobbling down his food. Man, Dudley was a good actor!

Soon, he was finished with his food, and he didn't ask for seconds this time. Of course, this brought the concern of Petunia raining down on him, worrying if he was ill. Dudley's protests that he wasn't hungry didn't help matters.

Petunia spun on her heel to glare at Harry. "Did you do this to him?" she snarled. That woman could be terrifying if she wanted to be.

Harry shook his head fast, but Petunia slapped him in the same place the bruise was from Vernon. Harry gritted his teeth and straightened, resuming the dish-washing with no comment. His Aunt snorted and strutted off, asking again if Dudley was okay.

"I'm fine, Mum, the freak didn't make me sick," he said.

"Good for him, then," Petunia growled. She wrote down a quick list and handed it to him. Those were the tasks for the day, and they were so numerous, I won't even bother writing them down.

By the end of the day, it was safe to say that Harry was exhausted. Harry wasn't even done with his chores when Vernon came home from work.

His Uncle noticed that, and set down his work bag. "Boy, what have you been doing? You've had all day to finish your Aunt's list, and what do I come home to?" He started walking up the stairs, and beckoned Harry up the stairs.

He glanced down at Dudley in the living room, and he was looking a bit worried. He then trudged up the stairs, his heart racing. Then he thought of something.

Nagini!

She was probably not expecting an overweight muggle to come in his room and start… well, you know.

Vernon was waiting outside Harry's room, unlocking all the locks. He pointed inside, making Harry go first. Harry quickly hissed, "_Nagini, do NOT show yoursssself, no matter what happensssss."_ He hoped he serpent heard him.

"Shut your sniveling, boy!" Uncle Vernon barked. "You deserve what you get!"

Harry jumped as the door slammed shut and Vernon advanced. He pulled his belt out of the belt loops, rose the belt up, and cracked it through the air menacingly. He put the belt down on the nightstand and grabbed Harry around the neck.

He crushed his windpipe, causing Harry to choke and gasp for breath, spots dancing in front of his vision. He slammed him face first down onto the bed. Harry then truly started to panic, kicking his legs out and trying to twist around. But, his Uncle grabbed the belt from the desk and slapped it over the back of his thighs and legs. The stinging pain was enough to make him go limp, but he didn't desist from the beating.

Welts appeared on his legs, but that obviously wasn't enough for him. He pulled down Harry's pants and whipped the belt over his bare backside. Harry cried out in shock and pain, and that seemed to egg Vernon on. Harry started struggling again, but he stopped pretty quickly, thanks to the mortification and agony.

Then it happened.

Harry heard a hiss from one side of the room. "_You… you nassssty imbecile!"_ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a huge figure emerge from a shadowed corner, fangs glistening in the slight light from the window. "_Even The Forssssaken One wouldn't do thisssss to most of hissss victimssss. He gave them all sssswift deathsssss."_

Vernon yelled and scrambled backwards. Nagini had frightened Harry when she first showed herself to him, but that was nothing compared to when she was truly angry. The snake was a terrifying demon of vengeance, and Harry wasn't even seeing her as clearly as his Uncle. From what it seemed like, he was going to do something unforgivable. Secretly, Harry was glad that she had intervened.

Wait, she was still after the man!

Harry stood up quickly and took in the scene in front of him. Nagini was at full height, cornering Uncle Vernon and pinning him to the wall with her yellow stare, which was now glowing. His Uncle was trembling under her gaze.

Harry pulled himself up and rushed over to the side of the room. "_Nagini! Don't bite him!"_ The snake turned her face to him.

"_What? Thissss… thissss __**worm**_ _wassss _violating_ you!"_ She turned her attention back to the man cowering on the wall.

Harry held a hand between her and Vernon. He looked down on him, who was now crouching down low. "You'd better _pray_ that I can control my snake, or it might be your end." After he had said that, he re-thought his words. _His_ snake? _Oh well,_ he thought. _I guess that's true, now._

"_Nagini, you won't be able to convincccce anyone_ _you're on our ssssside if you kill thisssss muggle."_

The snake blinked and bared her teeth for one last second. Then she took a snap at Vernon's face, keeping back just an inch. His uncle flinched, and it seemed like he was having trouble controlling his bladder.

"I think you'd better get lost before Nagini loses her patience." Harry spat in his face.

His Uncle jumped up and ran out of the room, tripping on the doorframe on his way.

Nagini then turned to Harry. "_Isssss that a common occurrencccce?"_ Now the serpent looked angry at him. He took a wary step backwards, and Nagini let out a breath. "_Child, there wasss a time I would have killed you on ssssight. But now, I would not lay a fang on you."_

Emboldened by this, Harry stepped closer to the snake and hissed, "_Well, thisss had only happened a few times before."_

"_Good for him. If he hadn't, you would not have been able to ressstrain me from going down thosssse sssstairsssss and killing him. I wouldn't even eat one sssso vile asss that."_

Harry gulped. "_I didn't know you could be sssso protective."_

"_Yessss. I alwaysssss protect my young onesssss, unlike ssssome beingssss."_

Her young ones? Well, it seems like they both had bonded.

Thirty minutes later, Dudley tentatively knocked on Harry's door, and he jumped and nearly screamed at the sight he was presented with. His cousin was lying on his bed, stomach down, his face looking at the door. But that was not the alarming thing about it! There was a ginormous snake wrapped around his _entire body_!

He remembered his pale and shaking father coming downstairs. He wouldn't answer questions about what had happened upstairs, but it had obviously scared him almost witless. They had all gone to bed early, except Dudley. He had pretended to go to sleep, then gotten the rags he had used yesterday, washed of course.

Harry, who was still extremely sore, was laying down on his bed again, making small talk with Nagini, getting to know each other. She was coiled around his entire body again. Apparently, her favorite food was cow, raw. She liked warmth, which was her excuse for using him like a heating pad. Nagini then asked Harry where his favorite place was. He had an answer for that question ready on his tongue. "_Hogwartsssss, of courssssse. It's the only placcce I've felt at home. Did you know that wasssss where I made my firsssst friendssss?"_

"_No, I did not. Who are they?"_

"_Well, there'ssss Ruler-Advice Weasley and Boundary-Marker Granger, and-"_ he was cut off by a knock on the door.

He heard the locks unlatching, and Nagini said, "_If that issss your Uncle again, I will_ _kill him."_

The door creaked open, and Harry saw Dudley standing at the door. As his eyes met the picture in front of him, he stumbled backward and placed one hand on the far wall and another one over his mouth.

"Shhh, Dudley, she won't hurt you," Harry whispered. Then he turned to his snake and said, "_Don't hurt him. He'ssss been helping me with my woundssss."_

Nagini nodded, and released her hold on him fractionally. Dudley, his breath shaking, tiptoed into the room. "Are you sure? Were you.. talking to it?"

"Yes, to both of those questions. She pretty much told me she wouldn't hurt you."

He took a calming breath and stopped in front of his bed. Nagini then hissed, "_Tell him that if he hurtssss you, I will be feassssting on hissss remainssss."_

Harry blinked. "Oh, er, Nagini wants you to know that if you hurt me, er, she most decidedly will hurt you. In a creative fashion."

Dudley's eyes widened even more, and he said, "Erm, okay. Er, where did Dad hurt you this time?"

Harry blushed. "Well, your father got bored with my back and chest, so he… er, he went down south a bit."

"That's how much he hit you?" Dudley looked outraged as Harry nodded. Nagini gave a warning hiss.

"_Nagini, he wasssss angry on my behalf. _Yeah," Harry alternated between parseltongue and english.

Dudley was appalled.

"Yes, and if Nagini hadn't stopped him, he would have done much worse." He gave his serpent a fond look.

Dudley looked shell-shocked for a few seconds. He took in a shaky breath. "Erm, do you want to clean your wounds yourself, or do you want me to do them? Also, if you decide to let me do it, keep your snake from killing me, okay?"

"I probably wouldn't get to most of the damage back there, so you can do it. _Nagini, Round-Clearing'ssss going to help me clean my cutssss. Don't kill him or anything._" He hardly acknowledged Dudley's name in parseltongue.

The snake stuck her tongue out at Dudley, smelling him. "_Okay. But if he triessss anything, he'sssss dead."_

Harry motioned for Dudley to get ready. Nagini completely uncoiled and rested on the mattress beside him. Harry shifted his trousers down, and Dudley sucked in a breath at the damage. "Wow, my father did a number on you. At least it's not as bad as last night's."

Harry chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Dudley began to tenderly (wow, I know, right?) clean the places were the belt had slightly broken skin on his thighs and calves. It wasn't as bad as his back and chest, which were in shreds, but it still hurt.

Soon, he got done cleaning his legs, and he cleared his throat. "Harry, I'm done with your legs. Are you sure you want me to do this? These look pretty painful."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but wait a second. Lemme tell Nagini not to attack. "_Round-Clearing isss going to clean sssome painful wounds, don't attack. He will not hurt me."_

After he had stopped talking to his snake, he gingerly pushed his shirt up. Dudley groaned at what he saw, saddened even further. "And he called you… you… _wizards_ freaks… but look at what he did…" Snapping himself out of his thoughts, his pudgy hands grabbed another damp rag and started washing his cuts, which seemed worse on the more tender skin.

Eventually, he got done with cleaning his injuries, and Dudley signaled Harry to get dressed. When he had done that, he sat up and winced. Nagini then rose up to look an extremely nervous Dudley in the eye, and said, "_Harry, tell the muggle that I am thankful that he helped my hatchling."_

He nodded and said, "She wants to thank you for helping her hatchling, erm, me."

Dudley gupled. "Uh huh. Tell her that it was no problem."

Harry relayed the message, and Dudley said, "Well, I think it's time for me to go. I'll leave you to talk to your snake… what was her name again?"

"Nagini."

"Oh. Okay. Feels like I've heard that name before. Well, bye."

"Bye." Dudley closed the door softly and didn't even bother to lock the locks.

"_You have a very ssstrange nesssst mate,"_ Nagini commented, wrapping herself around her new master's body. "_Sssso warm."_

"_You've mentioned that before,"_ Harry said sleepily. Now that the worst was over, he couldn't help but feel tired. Harry laid his head down next to his snake's, and went to sleep.


	4. Potions Master

Voldemort was stalking around the dining room of the Riddle Mansion, and he looked murderous. "Nott!" he said.

"Yes, my Lord?" Avery Nott replied, head down.

"Tell me, again, how we managed to attack a cottage in the middle of nowhere, get thwarted by no lessss than twenty Aurorsss, and manage to lossssse ten Death Eaters in the processsss?" Voldemort drew out his s's, and conveniently left out the part where he had lost his serpent.

"I don't know, my Lord."

"Hmm. I think we may have a sssspy in our rankssss… I wonder who it issss." Voldemort stopped behind Nott's chair. "Could it be… you?"

"No, no, my Lord! I would never betray you!" Avery said, trying to keep the panic in his voice hidden, but failing miserably.

Voldemort hmmed again. "Even ssso… I sssay that everyone desssservessss death. But, me being a merccciful massster, I will sssspare you all, and let you go with a tassste of the crucccciatisssss. How doessss that sssssound?" Silence reigned. "No ressssponssse?"

Several hasty "Yes, my Lord"s echoed around the room. Voldemort drew his wand, and said, finally letting his anger take control of his actions, "CRUCIO!"

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry and Nagini woke with a start. "Did you ssssee that too?" Harry asked.

"Yesss!" she sounded surprised. "Did you feel the cursssse thissss time?"

"No, actually!" that was strange. Usually he felt it when Voldemort cursed anyone. Now, only his scar hurt. He told that to Nagini, and she hissed pensively. "Maybe it wassss becausssse I wasssss there too."

"Who knowssss?"

A few minutes later, Aunt Petunia knocked on his door, not as angrily as usual. Maybe Uncle Vernon's silence scared her too. "Harry? Get up and make breakfast." Her footsteps then retreated back down the hallway.

Harry chuckled. "How about we make a grand appearanccce thissss morning?"

The snake looked positively devious. "Yessss… That would be mosssst ssssatisfying." She unraveled herself from Harry's legs, arms, and torso. She silently slid to the floor, waiting for her hatchling to get dressed for the day. Harry then went out of his room and went to the bathroom and met Nagini out in the hallway. He grinned at her, and she gave a hissing laugh.

They made their way down the steps, Nagini making almost no noise slithering down the steps. She truly was a sight. The middle of her body was so big, Vernon wouldn't even be able to wrap his hands around her!

They made it to the bottom of the stairs, and turned the corner. Nagini suddenly stopped before going into the kitchen. "Wait… I feel dark energy here." Harry turned to where she was looking, and he saw that she was staring at his cupboard. "Care to exxxxplain?" she hissed.

"Don't go in there and start killing thingssss, but… I ussssed to live there." Nagini looked deadly.

"If they ever try to put you there again, I will persssonally eat them whole."

"Thanksss, Nagini."

Harry went into the kitchen first, and Aunt Petunia glanced up at him from her seat at the table. She looked down fast, as if scared he would do something to her.

Then Nagini came.

The humongous snake slithered into the kitchen, making as much noise as possible. That made Petunia look up again, and what she saw made her scream out loud. Nagini slid toward the table, and Petunia stood up on her chair, still yelling. She pointed at the snake, and found her voice.

"HARRY POTTER! GET THAT - THAT DEMON OUT OF THE HOUSE!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Which one?" he said snarkily. "Because I think my snake thinks you're one yourself."

His Aunt looked like she was going to go into cardiac arrest, for more reasons than one. Nagini gave a laugh. "Tell the woman that I will be watching her."

Harry smiled. "Aunt Petunia? Nagini says that she'll be watching you, alright?" he said sweetly. Petunia clutched her heart.

More commotion was heard in the stairwell. Dudley ran (well, went as fast as he could) to the dining room. He took in the scene in front of him, and chuckled. "Oh, mum. When I heard you screaming, I thought you were in danger."

His mother looked down at him incredulously and said, "Not in danger? Do you know who that snake is?" Wait. Did she know where Nagini had come from?

Dudley looked just as confused as Harry, although probably for a different reason. "Erm, No. Should I?"

Aunt Petunia sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Dudders, this snake belongs to the… freak- that finally did in his," she pointed at Harry, "parents!" Her voice was slightly wobbly with poorly concealed fear.

Dudley now looked terrified. "Harry… is that true?"

Harry ignored Dudley. "How did you know?" he said darkly, moving from the kitchen counter, closer to the table.

Petunia slowly stepped down from the chair and sniffed. "The old coot that gave you to us sent us a letter a few days after you had left for your last school year, telling us to watch out for a snake, with dark green scales and yellow eyes, named Nagini." Her nose wrinkled. "Well, I, of course, wasn't worried." She straightened her back, and glared at the snake and then at Harry.

Dudley backed up, meeting Harry in the kitchen. "Uh, Harry?" he whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed. "It didn't cross my mind. I'm sorry, I'm mostly sure she's on our side." Harry lowered his voice even further. "I saw it myself when Voldemort made the mistake that permanently turned her."

"Vold-voldemat? That's his name?" Dudley said, his brows creasing incredulously.

"Voldemort. Yeah, I know right? Turns out his real name, Tom Marvolo Riddle, can be rearranged to form the anagram I Am Lord Voldemort. Weird, right?"

Dudley nodded, looking a bit more reassured. "Well, as long as you know she's safe."

Harry nodded, but he himself was a bit unsure. Voldemort did have a track record of sending him false dreams before, but if Nagini meant him any ill will, the blood wards wouldn't have let her through. Also, that dream put The Forsssssaken One in a pretty bad light. Well, he probably didn't want anyone to see him absolutely break down and scream like that.

Harry did the dishes a few moments later, ignoring Nagini's remark about how he shouldn't have to do that anymore. He set the dripping plates and pots on the drying rack, and walked into the living room, fixing to sit down on the couch.

"Harry, no. Your snake may not let me give you chores," she glanced at Nagini, who was looking smug, "but I can put you in your room if you're not doing anything useful."

Harry shrugged, thinking, At least I don't have to break my back today doing an insane amount of work.

He started going up the stairs, but Nagini hissed, "Army-Leader, get ssssome food. If I am not missssstaken, you misssed all the mealssssss over the lasssst two daysssss."

Harry stopped on the first step. He had gone longer without food before, but that didn't stop his stomach from rumbling at the thought of food in his belly. "Alright, I'll do that." He went to the kitchen and picked up a stray piece of bacon and nibbled on it while going upstairs with his snake. He stepped in and shut his door, rejoicing at the miracles that were happening. It seemed as if Vernon wouldn't be beating him anymore, Dudley would start being nice, and Petunia wouldn't give him any chores. He could just relax on his bed (which was still ominously bloodstained), and not worry about straining his wounds.

Nagini silently coiled herself around Harry again. That seemed to be her new favorite spot. "Army-Leader, why did you come into your room again? I thought you would want to roam around the housssssse."

"Pink-Flower," Harry paused, chuckling at the way parseltongue translated Petunia's name. "Pink-Flower told me I needed to sssssstay here."

"Why?"

"Well, she figuresssss that if I'm not doing anything, she doessssn't want to sssssee me, and that doessssn't offend me at all. I'd actually rather sssstay up here!"

"Are you sssssure? I could make her let you go downssssstairsssss."

"Thankssss, but I'm pretty ssssure."

Harry obviously was sleep deprived, since he fell asleep immediately after resting his head on his pillow. Nagini followed soon after, and not much time later, they both were in a dreamless sleep.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Petunia Dursley didn't know what to do with this new development. Not only was a snake in her house, it had to be a huge, intimidating one too! And not to mention that the old man had said that that one in particular was dangerous. She was mulling over these thoughts as she swept the kitchen floor. Usually Harry would do that job, and many more, but that blasted snake had to barge in and ruin every good thing in life.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. Relieved for a reprieve in her work, she went to the front door and opened it. The person standing outside made her gasp. He was an intimidating man, standing at a proud 6'4". He was wearing all black robes, with a curtain of ebony hair that fell to his shoulders. His nose was crooked, as if it had been broken in the past, and his obsidian eyes observed her shrewdly.

Petunia recognized this man instantly. It may have been almost twenty years, but she could remember the bane of her childhood existence like it was yesterday.

"Snape!" she yelped, once she had regained her voice. There were way too many surprises going on today.

"Yes, Tuney." Snape used the name Lily had given her sometime during her second year. He sneered down at her. "I have come to… check up on Mr. Potter," he said with disdain. "Although I sincerely doubt he is in danger, my employer set me to the task."

Severus Snape watched the pathetic woman squirm under his piercing gaze. He wasn't surprised by this, because he had perfected his death stare with his many years of experience teaching obnoxious little children who would rather be playing Quidditch than learning anything. The day before, the headmaster had summoned Severus to his office. Dumbledore then went on to explain how his phoenix was feeling unsettled, and the bird usually had great intuition about things. Of course, the headmaster had immediately jumped to the conclusion that Potter was in danger, and had sent an extremely dubious Severus to number 4 Privet Drive the next day.

Severus pushed past Petunia. Her discomfort was starting to irritate him, and he went inside the house. "Where's Potter?" he asked her in an unkind way. He still hadn't forgiven her for treating Lily like dirt under her shoe, and he was going to do the same to her. The boy is probably sulking in his room, like the moody, impulsive teenager he is, he thought. "Answer me!" he said, wrinkling his nose as if she emitted an unpleasant odor.

"Up… upstairs bedroom, turn right," she stuttered.

Severus snorted and made his way up the stairs. He turned right, like she said, and walked until he saw the sole door in that hallway. He frowned when he saw all those locks on his door. Probably wanted to keep his relatives out of his room, the brat, he brooded. But Severus, the back of his mind said, why would the locks be on the outside of the door? He ignored the voice and knocked on the door. He heard a start, some rustling of some sheets, and a small hiss. Potter probably thought it was his Aunt, because his knock had gone unanswered.

Impatient, Severus opened the door, his nose in the air, planning to give the impertinent brat a significant piece of his mind. Then he took in the situation he saw, and he had to hold in a shriek. It had been a long while since something had startled him that badly.

He saw Harry Potter himself, wrapped in none other than the Dark Lord's snake, asleep. He raised his wand to cast a curse at the blasted thing, to keep it from killing the boy, but the snake noticed and squeezed Potter. He woke up almost instantly, and looked at where Severus was standing.

He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and croaked, "Professor! Don't hurt her!" His brows were creased, and his face looked worried, of all things. He hissed at the serpent coiled around him, and to Severus' utter shock, the snake loosened her hold on the boy and allowed him to take his glasses from his nightstand and put them on. The Dark Lord's snake rose up beside Potter, and stared at him with all-too-familiar yellow eyes.

"Potter," he hissed, without lowering his wand. "Do you know exactly who that snake belongs to?" he asked, searching for a miniscule amount of sanity in that tiny brain of his.

"Of course, Snape." He had to resist the impulse to automatically take points from Gryffindor for his disrespectful attitude and idiocy. Then, he saw Potter wince, took in the rest of the scene in front of him, and ignored a concerned-sounding hiss from Nagini.

There was blood coating the boy's mattress and a bit of the floor, and Potter himself was wearing clothes barely befitted for a house elf. Severus' scowl grew. How did he not notice this sooner? He prided himself in his superior spy abilities, and that included the ability to take in every minute detail, even in the most stressful situations. Where had the blood come from? Surely not from Potter himself?

He decided to ask, ignoring the situation with the Dark Lord's snake for the time being. "Potter, where, exactly, did all this blood come from?"

Potter looked nervous. "Erm, nowhere?" It was a feeble answer, and he knew it.

Severus wasn't backing down. "Potter, do I have to use legilimency on you?" he threatened, levelling his wand at his head.

"No!" Potter shouted, causing the overgrown snake to hiss and spit at him, making Potter hiss right back at her. Whatever he said seemed to placate her, and the serpent backed down. He scowled at Severus. "Fine. I'll tell you, so you can report to your Slytherins how 'pathetic' I am." The potions professor nearly lost his facade of calm disinterest at that statement, and Potter caught the slip of his mask. "Yes, I couldn't stand up to my own Uncle, that's what," he growled. "He beats me." His face was turning an interesting shade of pink.

To say that Severus was shocked would be an understatement. He fought to regain his mask of indifference, but it was extremely difficult. Potter, the famous Golden Boy, was beaten at home? No matter what the headmaster said, he would have to get the boy out of this place. His anger mounted as he looked closer at the angry marks on his body.

Severus saw red. "HE WHAT?" he bellowed, spectacularly losing his temper. He started forward, only stopping when the snake looked like it was about to strike him. "You had better not be messing with me, Potter!" The idea that one's own blood relations could attempt to do that to them was almost inconceivable in the Wizarding World. The boy looked up nervously, most likely gauging his anger, and shook his head. "If Nagini hadn't stopped him, I feel like he would've killed me." He shuddered.

Severus sighed and came even closer. He stopped dead in his tracks when the snake hissed at him, daring him to come further. "Potter, tell the snake to back off."

He exchanged some sibilant words with the snake, and it coiled up tightly on the bed beside him. Severus had seen that pose many times before as his time as a Death Eater. It was what it looked like when it was preparing to attack.

"Potter! I told you to tell that blasted thing to back off!"

"Nagini is not a thing, she's a living, breathing creature!" Then he looked pensive. "I thought she did," he said.

"No, it didn't! I have seen that position before, and it's getting ready to strike!"

Potter frowned and seemed to have a whole conversation about him. Finally, the snake hissed and laid down flat, her tail whipping out on the floor in an agitated manner.

Severus thought it was safe enough to approach without a bite from it, so he came forward. "Take off your shirt and lay on your stomach," he commanded. Potter looked skeptical, but a quick bark of "Now!" caused him to obey.

Severus sucked in a breath at what he saw. He examined Potter's emaciated back, looking at the criss-crossed scabs there. Some looked very deep, and others had the distinct shape of a belt buckle. Some were festering with infection. He felt all his preconceived notions of one Harry Potter steadily being stripped away, and he didn't like that feeling. Severus tried for a conversation. "So, Potter. I'm guessing you know the identity of the abnormally large snake you are housing?" he tried to make his tone neutral while grabbing a vial of cream for the aftereffects of the cruciatus. It wasn't exactly ideal for open wounds, but it was the best he had along with him. He noticed that the snake relaxed a bit at his calm voice, and he tried again. "So?"

Potter sighed. "Yes, I do. I know she's switched sides though."

"Not meaning to provoke you, but how are you sure of that?"

"I had a dream." He winced when Severus started applying the salve to his mangled back.

"The Dark Lord has been known to send you false dreams before."

"I know that!" Potter snapped. Severus sighed. It probably wasn't a good idea to bring up false dreams, considering what had happened in the year before. "But, it did make The Forsaken One look pretty bad, in a way he wouldn't have liked."

"The Forsaken one?" Severus asked, confused.

"Oh. Yeah, that's what Voldemort's name comes out as in parseltongue."

"Do not say the Dark Lord's name!" he growled.

"Why not?"

Severus didn't have a good answer to that. Instead, he just sighed irritably. Although Potter wasn't everything that he seemed, at least he still could rely on him getting on his nerves. "Just don't."

He snorted. "Sure."

He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from retorting. He spared a thought to ask himself why he always let Potter provoke him. He could stand torture from the Dark Lord and misleading foolishness from the headmaster, but when it came to this child lying on his stomach on his bed, he always lost it.

Once Severus finished with his back, he asked, "Is there anywhere else that needs attending to?" Potter nodded. "Where?" he said impatiently.

"My chest." He rolled over onto his back, displaying the wounds there. Severus was expecting it to look bad, so he didn't react as strongly. He let out a slow breath through his mouth and started on his front. This time, Potter instigated the conversation.

"Sir, with all due respect, aren't you a Death Eater? And why are you helping me? Good grief, why did you come here in the first place?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "As you can see, I am a Death Eater, but I am also a spy for the headmaster, so you needn't worry about your wellbeing. As for your next question, I would help anyone in your situation, insufferable brat or not." He rubbed salve on a wound that looked particularly painful, and Potter sucked in a breath. "I apologize. The headmaster's bird felt like there was trouble, so his mind instantly thought you were in danger. Which, you were," he grudgingly admitted.

Potter seemed to mull over these thoughts for a while. At least, it was until he had finished applying the cream to his chest. "Anywhere else?"

Potter uncomfortably shook his head. Severus didn't believe him for one second, so he handed him the vial to touch up on anything he'd missed.

"I will be waiting downstairs for you." He started toward the door.

"Wait, what?"

Severus turned around to look at him. "Well, you cannot expect me to leave you here. You look like you haven't had a decent meal in weeks." He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Had he been… nice… to Potter? Really? Well, it was instinctive, his mind supplied.

_Please tell me I'm not starting to feel concern for the boy_.


	5. Diagon Alley

Harry didn't know what to think about Snape's attitude of everything. It was very odd how he held in his temper like that, not reacting like he usually did. Not like he was _trying_ to provoke him, it was just a natural reply to the professor's presence.

"_You do know who that man issss, do you? He was in my previoussss masssster'sss inner ccccircle!"_ Nagini exclaimed.

"_Yessss, I know. He jussssst told me that he wasss a sssspy for Dumbledore."_

She looked surprised. "_Really? That man, Ssssevere-Sssstern, issss one of The Forsssaken One'sss mosssst trusssted."_ Harry grinned at Snape's name in parseltongue. So, Snape's first name, Severus, equals Severe-Stern. That was really funny!

"_Well, I guesssss that'ssss the marking of a good ssspy."_ Harry slid off his trousers and pants and started applying the salve in the areas that seemed the worst. The cream really felt good on his lesions. The coolness stopped the constant burn of the damage everywhere. He wondered what it was for exactly as he put the stopper back on the bottle.

Already standing up, he put all his clothes back on and slid his shoes on. He didn't own any socks. He went out the door, Nagini following behind. He went down the stairs, turned the corner, and what he saw nearly made him laugh out loud.

Snape- excuse me, _Severe-Stern_\- was standing in the middle of the room, staring at his Aunt, making her look very uncomfortable. He had crossed his arms and was using his very best glare at her.

Harry stifled his grin and emerged from his spot, saying, "I'm done."

Snape tore his eyes from _Pink-Flower_, and leveled them on him. "Good. We will be apparating to the front gates of Hogwarts." He took the vial Harry handed him, and then he furrowed his brow. "Don't you have better clothes? No? Of course not. Well, it seems like we'll be taking a detour to Diagon Alley."

Harry's eyebrows rose to his hairline. Snape was going to be taking him to Diagon Alley? What had this universe come to? "Oh… okay..." he said skeptically.

Snape looked surprised himself, as if stunned he would even suggest such a thing. Regaining his composure, he then said, "Where is your school trunk?" Harry pointed over to the cupboard under the stairs, and he creased his brow. Seeing the lock on the door, he cast an _alohomora_ and he opened the cupboard. Harry then saw his eyes darken inexplicably, and he grabbed his trunk.

"Wait, can I go get something from my room?" Snape nodded. He ran (as much as he could with his still slightly smarting wounds), and ended up at his door. He opened it, and walked to his bed. He cast a glance over his sheets, which looked pretty bad. They were crusted with brown and red blood, old and new. He reached under the bed and pulled out the notebook paper he had written his many dreams on. He folded them many times, and stuffed them in his oversized pockets. He then went downstairs, seeing Snape still standing in the living room.

Snape then started toward the door. "Potter, are you coming?" he asked over his shoulder. Harry blinked and walked to him, groaning internally. His snake followed him. What had he gotten himself into?

He stopped at the sidewalk outside Number 4 Privet Drive, waiting for Harry to catch up. "Grab onto my arm."

What?

Harry remembered Hermione talking about apparition last school year, but he couldn't remember her saying this.

He must have seen his confused expression, because he then said "Potter, this is side-along apparition. I can bring you along with me, but I'm not so sure about the Dark Lord's snake." He eyed the serpent, still untrusting.

"Sir, she doesn't like being called that. She hates remembering what her previous master did."

Snape rolled his eyes and said, "I am not going to start calling it Potter's snake."

"Just call her Nagini."

Snape snorted. "First we will attempt to stop at Hogwarts with… Nagini. Then we will go to Diagon Alley to get you some decent attire. Grab onto my arm," he repeated.

"Okay, okay," Harry said. He put a hand on his arm and looked down at Nagini, who was looking puzzled. "Professor, would it be okay if Nagini coiled around me? I mean, I wouldn't be able to stand up straight, but it might be easier on all of us instead of just touching her."

"Very well."

"_Nagini, I need you to do your besssst to wrap around me so we can sssside-along apparate."_ The snake nodded and started climbing up his leg, around his torso. It wasn't long before he couldn't sustain the weight of the enormous snake, and his knees buckled. Snape, upon seeing that, stepped forward and caught him awkwardly under the arms. Snape and Harry were having an extremely hard time holding both of them up along with the serpent, and once Nagini had settled herself completely against the two wizards, they apparated to the front gates of Hogwarts.

Harry immediately decided that he preferred a broom to get to places. Apparition made it feel like he was being squeezed through a small tube, and he had a feeling that Nagini being wrapped around Harry was making it worse. When they appeared with a _crack_ at the gates, they both stumbled and fell. Harry had a difficult time keeping the bacon in his stomach down, but after a few swallows, he lost the feeling that he needed to gag. He was pretty adept at doing that, all thanks to his more violent visions from Voldemort.

He felt Snape's muscles tense, and Harry realized that his potions professor had fallen on top of him. Snape moved off of him and stood, brushing his robes off. Nagini uncoiled herself from Harry, and he took the offered hand and stood up. They silently walked, or in Nagini's case, slithered through the gates (which were open, thankfully). Harry stopped, wondering where he should go next. Snape pushed past him and started towards Hagrid's hut. Harry and Nagini trailed behind him, wondering where he was going with this.

Snape knocked on the door and Hagrid opened it. "Profes'r?" he said, sounding confused. "What'r you doin' here?"

"I need you to take care of a snake while I go off to Diagon Alley," he said in a superior tone of voice.

"Of course, profes'r. I c'n do that. Now, where's the little beauty?" the huge man asked, looking closely at his hands.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I sincerely doubt that you will find the snake _little_ once you have seen it." He stepped aside, revealing Nagini and Harry.

"Harry!" Hagrid exclaimed, seeing him first. Then, his eyes rested upon the serpent next to him, and he made a small "eep" sound. He blinked twice, and turned back to Snape. "Ye… ye'r lettin' _me_ take care of 'im?"

"It's a _her_, Rubeus. Also, _I'm _not letting you take care of her, she is Potter's snake." Snape glanced down at Harry, who was tapping his feet on the floor nervously.

Hagrid looked stunned. "Harry? See… how… she's beautif'l! It's an honour! Where'd ye get 'er?"

"Well, about that," Harry stopped when Snape gave him a warning look that Harry could translate easily. Obviously, he didn't want the identity of the snake to be known, so Harry tried for a half-truth. "She just sort of came to me, you know?"

Hagrid nodded, brushing a tear out of his eye. "Yeah, yeah, of course. Just like with me and-" he broke off, his eyes glancing at Snape. Harry supposed he was going to say Norbert, but stopped himself just in time. "Say, Harry? Why'r you here? It's still a few weeks 'till school starts again!"

Harry sighed. "I'll explain it all to you all later, I promise. But first, I have to go get some clothes, and school supplies."

Hagrid seemed satisfied with that answer. "Could I use the fireplace to send this to my quarters?" Snape held up Harry's trunk, which had somehow survived the beating that apparition had done to it.

"Yeah, sure! Harry, bring yer snake in too!"

Harry looked at Nagini, and started to walk inside. "_Thissss man issss one of the professssorsssss at Hogwartsss. He may ssssseem a bit… overenthussssssiasssstic about you, but he absolutely lovessss huge, dangerousss creaturesssss."_

Nagini seemed to puff up. "_I am flattered,"_ she hissed. Harry snorted with dark humor. He watched as Snape stepped into the large fireplace with a handful of floo powder, throw it down, and say, "Severus Snape's quarters." he vanished in a plume of green flame, and Hagrid turned to him.

"I 'ad heard ye 'ad the ability ter speak ter snakes, but I didn't believe 'em!" He was looking at Harry with a bit of jealousy. "Wha'd ye say 'er name was, again?"

"Nagini," Harry said offhandedly. Then he froze, wondering if Hagrid had heard about the Dark Lord's snake. In a stroke of rare good luck, it seemed like he hadn't.

"Nagini… hmm. Sounds famili'r." He seemed to shrug it off, and he went off to a corner to make bedding for the serpent.

"_Nagini, I'll have to leave you here for an hour or two. We will be going to Diagon Alley, and I'll be back here assss ssssoon asssss I can."_

"_Okay, jusssst be back in one piecccce, Army-Leader."_ Nagini slithered toward Hagrid, who was watching the conversation avidly. The snake slithered into the bedding, making herself comfortable.

Then, Snape reappeared in the fireplace, stepping out. Harry wondered how exactly he managed not to get any ash on himself. "Potter, we need to be off. Have a good day, Rubeus."

They walked out of the hut and back to the front gates. Snape took his wand put, and turned towards Harry. "We will both be needing glamors, so that my cover isn't blown, and so that we will not be overrun by over enthusiastic fans." Harry nodded warily, thinking, _Well, if he hasn't cursed me so far, I doubt he'll do it now._ He rose his wand, concentrating on his features.

"Is this to your liking?" he asked, conjuring a mirror. He was still in his ragged clothes, of course, but his facial features had been altered. He had blond hair, his face seemed fuller, his eyebrows were thicker, and his famous scar was gone. The only thing that had not been changed were his green eyes. Harry wondered why. He nodded, and Snape waved his wand over himself and made his hair shorter and a light brown, straightened out his nose, and made his eyes a deep blue. Upon seeing Harry's scrutiny, he said, "I have used this particular disguise in my work as a spy." He slid his wand back up his sleeve.

Harry, not needing a prompting, grabbed onto Snape's arm without looking at him. With a loud _crack_, they went through the tube again, and appeared at the dirty back room in the Leaky Cauldron. "I've never liked this pub," he muttered as he slid his wand out of his sleeve to tap on the brick wall.

They both stood back as the bricks shifted away, revealing the multiple shops and stores in Diagon Alley. The return of Voldemort had taken its toll on the general population, because it seemed as if there were less witches and wizards on the streets than usual. Lining the streets were stalls with some dodgy-looking witches and wizards selling magical objects, sweets, and trinkets. "Amulets that repel werewolves!" one sign proclaimed. "No Happy Thoughts? No Problem! Dementor-Repelling Bracelets! Guaranteed!" another one promised. "Necklaces that Make You Invisible to Inferi!" There were a multitude of these stalls.

On the corner of the street, the brightest shop was standing, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. It made Harry smile to see the Triwizard money being put to good use.

"Potter," Snape suddenly said. Harry glanced at him, and he said, "While you are here, you will be known as Daniel Radcliffe, and I will be using the name of Alan Rickman." (A/N: Don't judge, I'm having a little fun here.) "I will be your guardian, and we will be picking up your school supplies in an endeavor to avoid the end of summer rush. Got it?"

Harry nodded and followed Snape to Twilfitt and Tatting's to get some robes that actually fit him, along with things to wear under them, rather than Dudley's old castoffs. They stepped inside and Harry took a glance around. The store was placed at the corner of a road, with a huge window at the front. There were clothes on racks that were on the floor, and ones that were floating in the air. He watched as a witch wearing elegant robes waved her wand, and a deep blue cloak came zooming out of the clothes. It was slightly more… upscale than Madam Malkin's, but Harry thought he preferred the less fancy shop.

Snape pulled Harry forward, snapping him out of his reverie. They walked up to the front desk, and the old wizard sitting there looked up from where he was scratching away with a quill on an order form. He peered at them through his glasses and said, "What are you looking for?"

Snape clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder and adopted a Scottish accent that wasn't half bad. "My son Daniel will be needing some new robes for the next school year at Hogwarts. And, while you're at it, can you get us some clothes to wear under his uniform?" The old man nodded, stood up, and _accioed_ an advanced looking tape measure. "Potter," he muttered, "if I've heard that you've breathed one word about this, I will make it my personal job to make your life miserable." Harry gulped and inclined his head.

The wizard had the tape measure zoom around his body, taking measurements. When it was done, a piece of parchment appeared in his hands, and he seemed satisfied. "What house?" he asked.

"Gryffindor," Harry answered.

The man nodded, raising his wand. Black robes zoomed towards them, and they began the grueling task of measuring the clothing to fit him.

Severus watched Potter as he got measured and clothed with his new robes, shirts, and trousers. It looked like his patience was slowly running out, and he hoped that he would finish before his famous temper exploded. He had inherited his disposition from Lily. She had never stood for anyone being foolish or purposefully ignorant, like that pretender Umbridge last year. No matter what the general student population thought, he did not approve of her teaching methods.

He had honestly thought that Potter was a spoiled brat when he had first seen him in first year. His skinny, small frame had been explained away with the excuse that he was a picky eater, and his inattention and disrespect in his class had been seen as purposeful arrogance. Now, Severus had hit reality, hard. Potter was so small because he literally wasn't allowed to have meals over the summer. He had seen how skinny the boy was when he was applying the salve to his back and front. He had felt it truly when he had to apparate with him with the snake coiled around them. When he had fallen on top of him, he had to regain his bearings, and he had felt his ribs through his shirt. Just thinking about it made Severus dearly want to go back to the Dursleys and hex them into oblivion. Their incompatibility in class was mostly because of _his_ misunderstandings, _his_ presumptions, that the boy was a miniature copy of his father.

_I am so sorry, Lily._ He had failed his promise to protect her son after she had died. He could remember that day like it was yesterday.

_Sixteen Years Ago_

"_Severus," Lily said. "I need you to promise me something."_

_They both were sitting in the Potters' living room, mere hours after Pettigrew had betrayed them to the Dark Lord, both of them unknowing at the time. The only person in the room that seemed distraught was little Harry Potter, who was being bounced on Lily's lap._

"_I will do the best of my ability," he replied uneasily. A few years after school had ended for them, they had gotten over Severus's slip-up. They weren't romantically involved - Lily was stoutly faithful to James, and Severus wasn't about to ruin another relationship._

_She sighed and looked at Harry. "You, of all people, know that He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named is after us." Severus nodded, sitting forward. "I want you to promise me that you will keep Harry safe if… something happens to us."_

_Severus, who was used to being emotionless, felt his throat clog up at the very thought that Lily could die because of his mistake. Resolving himself, he nodded firmly. "I will do everything in my ability to keep the boy unharmed and well," he vowed solemnly._

_Lily seemed satisfied with that. Her brows furrowed at the miniature Potter's insistent wails. "He's been crying for the last few hours. He seems really upset, and I don't know why..."_

_Days after that, all of the Potters had been found dead in that same house. Except for Harry. Minutes after it had happened, Severus had heard of the raid of the house in Godric's Hollow, and in a panic, he apparated to the front of their house. What he saw made his heart sink to his stomach. Most of the roof was blown off, and there was evidence of small fires peppered around the place. _

_Severus walked in the front door, and saw the wreckage of the house. The kitchen was in shambles, and the living room that they had sat in just days before was destroyed. Blinking the rebellious tears from his eyes, he marched toward the staircase. He tentatively set a foot on the first stair, seeing if it would hold his weight. It did, and seemingly in a trance, he walked up the stairs the rest of the way. _

_At the final landing, James Potter was sprawled halfway on the stairs and halfway on the floor, with a glassy look in his open eyes. There was no doubt he was dead. He braced himself for the scene that was behind the door at the end of the hallway, undoubtedly Harry's bedroom. Even bracing himself couldn't stop the horrific sight presented to him from making him clutch his heart and collapse against the wall._

_Lily had crumpled on the ground in front of a crib, and he hardly registered the baby screaming in it. He just stood there, back against the wall, hardly taking in the situation. Once he had gotten out of the shock of the whole situation, he fell to his knees and crawled toward his one and only love. _

_With a shaking hand, he reached out and touched her cold, cold face. And finally, he broke. He cried almost as loudly as the child in the bed while clasping her to his chest, rocking back and forth in the rocking chair she had most likely used to calm Harry. "No, no, no! What have I done… NO!" he screamed in anguish._

_He was found there by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who stepped into the room, tear tracks staining his face. He saw Severus holding Lily to his body for dear life, still weeping over her death. He had sniffled, patted him on the shoulder, and picked up little Harry in his crib, who had stopped crying a long time before and had taken to silently watching Severus in his grief. _

_Hagrid had walked out of the house, and he heard the revving of a motorcycle. A motorcycle? That was strange. However strange it was, it snapped him out of his mental agony. He laid Lily down on the ground, folding her hands above her chest and straightening out her limbs to make it look like she were sleeping. It took all of his willpower not to break down again, and to leave the house. _

_After that, he never cried again._

"Sir? Sir- Alan! Er… Mr. Rickman?" Severus heard a voice calling at him and something tugging at his sleeve. He finally got a poke in his side, and he whipped his wand out out of his sleeve and pointed it at a very alarmed and surprised-looking Harry Potter. Then, Severus realized he was in a flashback, and his eyes were watering. He turned away, and blinked the tears out of his eyes. He had promised himself he would never think of that incident again.

"Are… you okay?" he heard Potter's concerned voice. Concerned? The world must have been turned on his head.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about," he retorted, sliding his wand back in his right sleeve.

"O- okay," he said. "Well, I just wanted to say that we're done."

Severus then noticed that, indeed, they were done measuring him and Potter had a bag of clothes. "Ah. Yes." They turned to the desk again and the man handed Severus a receipt.

"I don't have any money-" Potter started.

"You can sign this receipt to take money directly from your account," he interjected.

"Oh. That's useful." He scrawled the name _**Harry Potter**_, and handed it to the wizard. Upon seeing the name upon the parchment, he opened his mouth, and Severus "shhh"ed him, putting a finger over his lips. The man, still open-mouthed, nodded. Severus grabbed Harry's shoulder, and he winced involuntarily.

He snatched his hand away as if burned, berating himself for forgetting about the wounds that were still probably painful under the glamours and cruciatus curse salve. But, he wasn't about to apologize. "We will be going to Flourish and Blotts next, to get your schoolbooks."

Harry followed Snape to the green-fronted shop with a door in between two large windows that displayed the . They walked inside, and the interior had books stacked up precariously, around a staircase and a round front desk. The dark-skinned witch running the desk saw them come in, and she stood up. "Good afternoon. Which books are you looking for?"

Snape took a piece of parchment from the front of his robes. "We need… _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6_, _Quintessence, the Quest_, _Confronting the Faceless_, _Advanced Potions making, A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration, _and _Flesh-Eating Trees of the World_."

The woman smiled and went back into the store. She came back out seconds later with a stack of textbooks, balanced on her arms. Snape took four, and so did Harry. "It's a good thing we ordered these early," she said. "We didn't think anyone would be coming in only a few weeks into the summer!" She handed the check to Snape first, then he gave it to Harry, and he signed it.

Snape smirked. "Always the exceptions." He looked at Harry when he said that. He walked out of the store without a backwards glance.

"Have a great day!" Harry called over his shoulder at the befuddled-looking witch.

They walked briskly out the door, and Snape stopped. "Do you need any quills, parchment, or ink?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. All of them."

They started walking towards Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment. Harry preferred Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop in Hogsmeade better, but he refrained from commenting. On the way there, they passed Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. All the windows were boarded up, and the once bright lettering was fading and chipping off. "What happened here?" Harry asked, bewildered.

Snape seemed to be considering that question. "Fortescue has gone missing in the past few months. Many people suspect the Dark Lord, but I _know_ it is. He was kidnapped and murdered, although I do not know why."

Harry looked down at the ground, feeling his mood darken. He had liked that man, he had given him free ice cream in his third year when he was restrained to Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron. It saddened and chilled him that Voldemort was getting so bold in his prospects of taking over the wizarding world.

They then passed Ollivander's. The condition of that building was the same as the ice cream parlour's, and he looked at Snape questioningly. Surely the old man couldn't be dead!

"No, Potter. Mr. Ollivander is alive, if not well. _He_ only got kidnapped."

"Why?"

"I cannot tell you that."

Harry felt a surge of irritation at how he had been brushed off like that. He stamped on it, though, solely because Snape had been decent so far. Ollivander was a creepy man, but he didn't deserve to be kidnapped by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Now that he thought of it, he remembered a dream from The Forsaken One that had mentioned Ollivander.

He had been alarmed when the potions master had zoned out, and he had gotten a look in his eyes that spoke of a loss so great, he couldn't handle it. And then, when he had almost started crying? That was absurd. He glanced at him as they entered Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment. Snape looked like his normal, grumpy self.

The building had a deep blue undertone with all sorts of objects in the windows. There was a huge ball floating close to the starry ceiling with an old-looking mural on it and golden rings of varying size circling. There were ornamental telescopes displayed around the room, since they were known especially for them, but they could also get parchment, quills, and ink also.

Harry walked over to one section of the store, obviously selling the things he needed. He grabbed a generous stack of parchment, ten quills, and three ink containers. He walked over to the front desk, where there was thankfully only a short line. Obviously, even in times of turmoil, people still needed the basic necessities of magical life. He looked around for Snape, and he seemed to be inspecting a basin that looked suspiciously like a pensive.

Harry was then reminded of the incident the previous year with Snape's memories. He had been no less than devastated to find out that his father had acted as bad as a bully as Malfoy, if not worse. Ever since he had come to Hogwarts, he had always heard about how his dad was a great and noble man, and hearing Snape describe him as irresponsible and arrogant had made him angry, but he never thought that it was true.

Oh, but it was. He had asked… Sirius… and Remus about it and they said that his father was just being a stupid fifteen year old. Harry didn't know about anyone else, but he knew, being a fifteen year old himself, that he would never do a Dudley-esque thing like raising someone in the air by their legs and threatening to take their trousers off.

Finally, Harry got to the front of the line, and he set all his things down on the desk. The wizard with graying black hair wordlessly waved his wand, and a check appeared out of nowhere. Harry took it from the air, and signed his name, giving it back to the cashier. Upon seeing his name, the man looked up, confused. Harry put a finger to his lips and shook his head. The man seemed to understand, tapped the receipt with his wand, and it vanished.

Harry walked to the front of the store and Snape met him there. "Are you finished, Potter?" he asked. Harry nodded and lifted up the bag of supplies he had bought. "Good. Now, I have to run some errands myself, so do not utterly destroy anything or make a scene."

He nodded again, and Snape walked off. Harry knew exactly where he wanted to go. He ran a bit, ignored the shady-looking saleswizards or witches calling out at him, and skidded to a stop outside of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. The place was painted bright orange, with a huge waving twin taking his top hat off, and putting it back on. Each time, something appeared on his head that wasn't there before.

He walked inside, slightly out of breath. Maybe he shouldn't have sprinted over here, even if he was levitating all of his things. This store was more crowded than even Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment! He had to dodge around people and their elbows as he passed U-No-Poo, Skiving Snackboxes, trick wands, spell-checking and Smart Answer Quills, reusable Hangmans, Daydream Charms, muggle magic tricks, Edible Dark Marks, Shield Products, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, Decoy Detonators, joke cauldrons, Wonderwitch beauty products and 10-second pimple vanishers, Pygmy Puffs, love potions, and more.

He finally saw the twins near the back of the store, talking to a small boy with brown hair. They were obviously explaining how the Umbridge on the tightwire looked, because they were frequently pointing at it, talking to the little boy.

He walked over there, virtually unobstructed by the crowd. "Fred, George!" he called. The two redheads frowned, looking at him with two identical eyebrows raised.

"Do we-"

"- know you?" Fred and George said, looking at him with a smile.

Harry then realized he still had his glamours on, and he nodded. "It's me, Harry!" he whispered, just over the commotion in the room.

They now looked suspicious. "Really..."

"We'll ask you a question. What is the thing-"

"- that opens up the Map?"

Harry immediately knew what they were talking about. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he answered, grinning.

The twins' demeanor changed instantly. "Harry!" they both exclaimed.

"Sorry that we had to do that," Fred said,

"- but we've heard some awful stories lately-" George continued,

"- that involve killings or kidnappings-"

"- using polyjuice potion or impersonation!"

"Yeah, I understand," Harry said. "Why don't you show me your store?"

Thirty minutes later, when the twins were showing him the Edible Dark Marks and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, Harry saw Snape, without his glamours, walk through the doors of the shop. His eyes scoped the shop, taking in all of the bright colors and loud noises, all with a wrinkled nose. Fred saw Harry staring over their shoulders, and he turned around to see what he was looking at. He gasped, causing George to look over as well.

"Well I'll be!" Fred said.

"We never thought we'd see the day-"

"- when Professor Snape _himself_ came-"

"- to our shop!" Fred finished, mouth gaping.

Harry watched as Snape's gaze rested on him, and he started coming over. His robes were billowing out behind him as he walked.

"Uh-oh-"

"- the great greasy bat-"

"- of the dungeons-"

"- is marching over here!"

Harry dearly hoped Snape hadn't heard them. Turns out, his hopes weren't void, because he didn't comment when he reached them.

"I should have known I'd find you here, Daniel," he said, looking sour.

"They know it's me, professor," Harry answered, looking at the twins, who were standing back, watching the interaction.

Snape immediately looked angry. "What if someone had heard you? Has anything I told you sunk into your miniscule sized hea-" he stopped himself and took a calming breath, closing his eyes when he saw Harry involuntarily shrink away from his raised voice. "Potter. Remember Ollivander and Fortescue? They both had connections _to you_. Do you want the same thing to happen to the Weasley twins?" he growled lowly. He backed away, saying, "I want to see you outside this store in five minutes." He billowed away.

The twins looked confused. "Is he here for you?" George asked.

"No," Harry answered. "He got me from the Dursleys." He conveniently 'forgot' to tell them about Nagini. He didn't want to get them into any more danger by telling them about the serpent that was now loyal to him. Voldemort probably didn't know that she was with him.

Fred nodded. "Ah. Why _him_, though?" he mused.

Harry shrugged. "Beats me. I guess he was the only person in Hogwarts that was available."

Both twins hummed. "Yeah, I guess so." Then George grinned and grabbed a whole container of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, and handed it to Harry. "Just to let you know, Daniel," they both snickered,

"- everything that you can find in here-"

"- is absolutely free-"

"- for you!"

Harry was confused. "Why?"

"You were the one that gave us the money to truly start our business!" they said in unison. Harry wondered how they did that.

Harry accepted the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, saying, "Oh. Erm, thanks!" He gingerly set it on top of the rest of his things. "I've got to go now. Snape's gonna go into cardiac arrest if I don't show up at the front of your shop soon. Bye!" he said over his shoulder, waving.

"Bye!" they yelled after him, and then looked down at a little girl who was asking about the Edible Dark Marks.

Harry walked outside, and Snape was waiting there, tapping his foot with a frown. Harry's voice went ahead of his brain, and he said, "Why are you angry at me for telling Fred and George it was me, when you're not wearing _your_ glamours?" Then he bit his tongue for saying that.

Snape scowled even deeper. "I have my own reasons. My patience is running thin, so I suggest you do not try me." He silently held out his arm, and Harry took it.

The tube-like sensation enveloped both of them once more. With a _crack_, they appeared back at the front gates of Hogwarts. "Why don't we apparate closer to the castle?" Harry asked once he had lost the sensation of nausea that apparating caused.

"You cannot apparate within the boundaries of Hogwarts. Haven't you ever read _Hogwarts, a History_?" Snape snapped. Harry had to stifle a laugh, but sadly, Snape noticed this. "What is it that you find so funny?"

Harry wondered whether he should say why or not. He decided he would. "That's pretty much Hermione's catchphrase. She likes lecturing us about that book."

Snape looked like something unpleasant had caught in his throat. He wordlessly swept away, his travelling cloak flowing out behind him. He then aimed his wand over his shoulder at Harry, who was trailing after him. He made a slashing movement with it, and Harry's glamours were obviously taken off.

They made it back to Hagrid's hut eventually, and the scene they found there was quite comical. Hagrid had collapsed on the couch, very sweaty and fanning himself while Nagini was draped around his fireplace looking very pleased with herself. Harry had to cover his mouth to hide his grin, and even Snape appeared to have trouble not smiling. His face twitched, and he schooled his expression into one of professionalism.

Upon their entry, Nagini looked up from where she was resting her head. "_Army-Leader! Severe-Stern! It has been ten minutes less than an hour,"_ she hissed.

"_Well, I did say 'about an hour,' didn't I?"_ he retorted playfully. Nagini slithered from the mantle and glided gracefully towards Harry. He then looked up at Hagrid, who had opened his eyes and was looking blearily at them. "What happened?"


	6. The Dungeons

Hagrid shook his head. "I jus' dunno how yeh deal with tha' snake over there," he said, his voice even more slurred than usual. He pointed over at Nagini, who was doing her best to look innocent.

Harry glanced over at her, eyebrow raised. "And what did she do?" he asked. Anything that caused the half-giant to be completely exhausted and worn out was something to be investigated. In Harry's first year, Hagrid had illegally hatched a vicious dragon and proceeded to call it an "adorable little beauty." Not to mention all the other questionable, or outright dangerous creatures he found fascinating. Like blast-ended-skrewts. Or hippogriffs.

The large man let out a ginormous breath. "Well, le's see. Firs', she 'cided tha' it was a good idea ter eat all th' food tha' I 'ad been savin' fer th' animals 'n th' forest. Then, she wan'ed ter go ou'side, 'n I let 'er. Then she ruin'd my pumpkin patch. Ye know, stuff like tha.'" Hagrid's speech was so bad, he had trouble understanding him.

"Wow. Well, it looks like you need some rest. We'll just go back to the castle." He turned to Snape, who had been quiet the entire time. "Where will I be staying?" he asked.

Snape sniffed. "I do not know. I have a feeling that Professor Dumbledore did not think I would be returning with you, so that is where we will be going next. Rubeus," he said, addressing the man who was still draped across the sofa. He lifted his arm from his face and hummed. "May we use your fireplace to access the headmaster's office?"

Woah. Snape had actually asked for something, nicely. Well, then again, he had been less… cutting in his remarks than usual. Maybe it was because of the state Harry was in when Snape found him. Who knows. Hagrid nodded and put his arm over his face again.

Snape stepped towards the fireplace. "Potter. To get to the fireplace in the headmaster's office, you have to say, "Albus Dumbledore's office," and then the password. At the moment, the phrase is Cauldron Cakes. Watch." He stepped into the fireplace with a handful of floo powder and said, "Albus Dumbledore's office, Cauldron cakes." He threw the black-ish powder down, and he vanished in a towering, flickering green flame.

Harry beckoned Nagini to the fireplace. "_I have sssseen wand-waverssss appear and dissssappear in a fire like that. I'm guesssssing you are not injured by it?"_

Harry shook his head, amused. "_No. Now, I think you may have to wrap around me again to get through."_ The snake went beside Harry, who already had the floo powder in his hand. She wrapped herself tightly around his legs, allowing him to stand up. "Albus Dumbledore's office, Cauldron Cakes!" he said firmly. He had bad experiences with not saying his destination clear enough.

They both toppled out of the fireplace, tangling in a huge pile of snake and human. Wait. Why did Harry feel another person on top of him?

He got his answer soon enough. "Of course _this_ would happen," Snape's baritone voice sighed irritably. He quickly got up, and Nagini unravelled herself from his body. Harry got to his knees, and finally yo his feet, wincing. It seemed like all his scabs had ripped off onto his shirt. Clearing his expression, he looked at Dumbledore, who was sitting in his chair with a bright twinkle in his eyes.

"Would someone please tell me what on earth happened?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore took the liberty to explain. "You were taking a long time to floo to the office. Professor Snape volunteered to go get you, and you ended up appearing in the fireplace just as he was getting into it!" He chuckled. "Why did it take you so long to get here?" he asked, suddenly inquisitive.

"Well, Nagini had trouble getting-" Harry got interrupted.

"Nagini?" Dumbledore said, looking distinctly alarmed. He stood up abruptly, faster than you'd expect an old man to move. "She didn't hurt you, did she? Where is Voldemort?" he asked, rapid fire. Then, he noticed the huge serpent on the floor in between the potions master and Harry. He immediately aimed his wand at her, and Harry jumped in between the headmaster and his snake.

"Wait! Don't hurt her!" Harry shouted. Dumbledore didn't lower his wand, but he no longer had a curse ready on his lips.

"Harry," he said, "you do realize this is Voldemort's snake." He was looking concerned, the twinkle long gone from his eyes.

He nodded. "I know for a fact that she's turned from Voldemort." He fished in his pockets, and found the notebook paper that he had stuffed in there earlier. He put them down on the desk, turning them to Dumbledore. He finally dropped his wand arm, and sat down heavily.

He looked back up."I will read these later, Harry. But, if you are convicted of her loyalties, I guess I will allow you to house her, under supervision. But, was there another reason that Professor Snape brought you here?"

"No-" Harry said, but Snape cut him off.

"Yes, actually." He had emerged from the shadows of the room, taking them both by surprise. "It turns out that the perceived 'danger' your phoenix sensed was actually not the Dark Lord's snake coming to his house. The danger that he was facing was actually _inside_ the house." His voice ended in a growl. He stepped forward and placed both hands on Dumbledore's desk. "He will not be going back to the Dursleys'. Not ever."

"But sir, the wards-" Harry began.

Snape used a few choice words that I can't write down here. "Sure. Potter, you returning to that hellhole is a solid _no._" His nose wrinkled, and he looked as angry as Harry had ever seen him.

Dumbledore spoke up. "To quote Harry here, would someone please tell me what on earth happened?" He had folded his hands together. "Because, the wards are very important."

Snape looked like he was about to explode. "Potter. Take off your shirt."

Harry blanched, turning around to face Snape. "No, I'd rather not-" He aimed a good ripping spell at Harry's top, which flew back onto the headmaster's desk. Harry whipped around, wrapping his arms around his torso. He felt Nagini wind herself through his legs, giving him support.

Dumbledore's face fell when he saw the crusted blood permeating the whole shirt. "Harry? What's this? What happened?" His voice was ever so slightly higher pitched than usual. In truth, he had a good idea about what had happened, but he wanted to hear this from Harry himself. He slowly looked up at Harry, who had wrapped his arms around himself as if to protect him from something.

"Put your arms down, Potter!" Snape barked. That caused Harry to flinch, and he tentatively put his hands by his side.

Dumbledore had seen many things in his long life, but nothing struck him as hard as seeing the multiple oozing, weeping gashes across Harry's torso, stretching over to his back, and disappearing down his trousers, which, upon further investigation, were bloodstained also.

"I… I fell down-"

"Do not _lie_ to the headmaster!" Snape growled, causing Harry to shrink away from him. "I came into Potter's house this afternoon. Potter wasn't downstairs. Guess where I found him?" he said menacingly. "I found him in his room. The room had a dozen locks on it, which I think you would find peculiar. When I walked into the room, I found him lying on the bed, with Nagini wrapped around him." He paused, waiting for the stark-white headmaster to nod. "I didn't realize that his bed and clothes were coated with blood! He shared with me some interesting facts while I was applying the _Cruiciatis_ salve to his back, front, and legs. Turns out, his Uncle," he spat out the word "had 'lost his temper' and taken it out on him!"

Dumbledore looked absolutely horrified. "Harry," he rasped. "Is this true?"

Harry swallowed and nodded, his eyes cast on the floor.

Dumbledore looked like he had stopped breathing. "No… that house was supposed to be the safest place on earth for Harry…" he whispered.

Snape outright laughed. It was a cold, humorless one, that sent chills to the bones for both Harry and Dumbledore. "You were wrong," he said. Then, he turned to Harry. "I apologize for taking you to Diagon Alley. It must have been painful to you." Wow, now Snape was apologizing. The world was bound to end, and soon.

He didn't dare voice those thoughts. "No… it didn't hurt too bad. The salve did a good job dulling the pain." He shifted around, causing more of the scabs to flake off painfully and drift to the floor. "Although, it is wearing off." He turned back to the headmaster, who was still pale and looked as if he was deep in thought. "Where will I be staying the rest of the summer?" he asked, voice shaky.

Dumbledore flicked his eyes between Harry and Snape. He then said absently, "Since Severus is the only person here in the castle that can possibly tend to you well, you will be living in his quarters until further notice."

Harry's jaw dropped. What? Stay with Snape? "Sir, I don't think that's a good idea…" he murmured. As Snape said, "Absolutely not!"

"Why is that so, my boy?" Dumbledore looked at him over his half-moon glasses at Harry, now completely lucid.

"Well, it's just that Professor Snape and I don't get along that well, if you know what I'm saying," Harry said in the same low tone as before.

"Harry, Professor Snape is the best healer we have here, other than Madam Pomfrey, and she's on a vacation in the continent." He seemed to see Harry about to speak, and he then said, "Professor McGonagall is also not here. She is at her home in Scotland."

Harry took a deep breath and looked at Snape. "Well, I guess I'm stuck with you," he said. Then, he shivered from a draft coming from an open window in the office. It was the summer- time, but wind could make his exposed skin really cold, really fast.

Snape sighed and said, "I am thinking I truly have no input on this matter." He walked over to where his new things were and grabbed a cloak out of the pile. He tossed it to Harry, who accepted it

without complaint. He wrapped it around his shoulders, shivering one final time as he relished the warming charms on it.

Snape started toward the door, like he did at the Dursleys'. Harry just then thought that he hadn't said goodbye to Dudley. "Well, Potter, are you coming?"

Harry nodded, and said to the headmaster, "Bye." Dumbledore waved his hand, deep in thought again. Harry wondered what was running around his head for him to be so out of it.

Then, he, Nagini, and the most hated potions professor made their way down to the dungeons.

HPHPHPHP

Meanwhile, back in the office, Albus Dumbledore's thoughts were racing at lightspeed. He held the crusted shirt they had left in his office in his hands. _Harry can't go back to the Dursleys'. If I do that, Voldemort needn't worry about killing the boy, his Uncle would do that for him. I just cannot believe that family relations would _do _that to someone! Well, Albus,_ his subconscious replied, _Muggles have always been different._

Yes, that was very true. As he stood up from his desk, he pondered the subject of Harry's new serpent. _That snake is dangerous. My every instinct tells me that I'll regret this, but I'll let him keep her for now._

_But what about his relatives?_

Albus made his final decision.

Harry Potter would not be going back to the Dursleys'.

HPHPHPHPHP

Severus Snape was storming down the hallway angrily. The headmaster hadn't even taken his thoughts into consideration! What if he didn't want the impudent little brat prying into his personal life? But no. It was always about Potter.

_But, it wasn't._ Snape watched the shadows dance across the stone wall as he walked deeper into the dungeons, Potter and his snake trailing after him. _What about his relatives? They definitely didn't treat him like a prince._ And he should've been happy about that.

But all he felt was rage on behalf of the child that had been scorning and discounting his class since first year. He wanted to march to Number 4 Privet Drive and curse the Dursleys to oblivion, and Severus was _quite_ sure he wasn't supposed to feel that way. He was supposed to hate the boy and his detestable Gryffindor tendencies!

These thoughts plagued him as they made their way to the potions master's quarters. They walked up to a painting of a man with a pointed face and a white goatee just as sharp. He had ornate green robes and was standing in a hallway not unlike the one they were in right then.

"Password?" he asked.

"Colubrid," the potions professor said. "Potter, this is Salazar Slytherin. Even though he is just a painting, treat him with respect."

"Ah, Severus, I doubt he would be able to offend me too greatly. What is his name? I heard the surname Potter," the man said, cracking a small smile. The expression softened his features marginally.

HPHPHPHPHP

"Harry. Harry Potter," Harry said, stepping forward. "_I have heard you can sssspeak parssssseltongue. Issss thisssss true?"_ he asked on a lark.

The old man looked stunned. "_Yessss. Yessss it is. It hasss been a while sssince I have ssssspoken to a fellow parsssselmouth. You mussssst be one of my desssscendants."_

Harry shook his head. "_I don't know if I'm related to you or not."_

"I hate to interrupt this scintillating conversation, but we need to go inside," Snape said.

"Don't be a grouch, Severus," the portrait rebuked. "Ah. Harry, be sure to come back later. It gets quite lonely down here." Then, he noticed Nagini, who was to the left of Harry. "_Oh, who issss this fine ssssspecimen?_" he asked, seeming to lean forward to get a better look at her.

"_Thisssss isssss Nagini,"_ Harry replied.

"_Nagini, thisssss isssss Hall-Dweller Slytherin."_ The snake took a close look at the portrait.

"_Hall-Dweller?"_ Nagini asked. "_That is a sssstrange name. Hello, Hall-Dweller."_

"_Greetingssss, Nagini."_

Snape looked exasperated. "You can resume _later_. We have something important to do, if you've forgotten about it. Colubrid," he repeated, and the portrait opened.

Harry nodded, and waved goodbye to Salazar. They proceeded to march inside Snape's quarters.

It wasn't like most people would expect it to be- you know, spartan, with various torture devices and potions ingredients neatly organized around a dark room. Instead, it was very cozy, with a fireplace on the far side of the wall. There was an undertone of deep blue that Harry thought he could get used to. There were bookshelves lining the walls.

"I will have the house elves make a room for you two in a moment," Snape said, breaking into Harry's thoughts. "But first, we need to treat your injuries with something more disinfecting and healing than _cruiciatis_ salve." He beckoned to the couch in front of the fireplace.

Harry sat down on the sofa, and Snape motioned him to take off the cloak around his shoulders. He slid it off, folding it and placed it on the other side of the couch. It was, in all honesty, one of the nicest pieces of clothing he had. Snape seemed to stare at the cloak for a second, and then he went into another room.

"_Army-Leader, who wasssss that human that we ssssaw in the officccce?"_ Nagini asked, slithering onto the couch next to him.

"_That wasss the headmaster of our sssschool, Bright-White Dumbledore."_

"_Bright-White Dumbledore?"_ Nagini asked. "_You mean the human The Forssssaken One rantsss about all the time? The leader of thissss sssside?"_

"_Yep, that'ssss him,"_ Harry answered. "_That'ssss why he wassss sssso alarmed to ssssee you."_

Snape came out with various bottles in his arms. He placed them on the floor, and said, "Lay down, Potter." He laid down on his back, displaying the wounds on his front. Snape took a deep breath and picked up a glass vial of something bright blue.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

Snape sighed. "Grievously injured, but still inquisitive," he muttered. "This is disinfecting salve. Some of your wounds have been infected," was his short answer.

Harry was silent for a few seconds as Snape applied the stinging concoction. "You said the other stuff was _cruiciatis_ salve, right?" Snape nodded. "Why didn't I get any in my fourth year?"

Snape looked up at Harry's face quickly. "What?" he asked, color draining a bit from his face.

"You know, at the end of the third task, when I had gotten away from Voldemort, why didn't I have any?"

Snape swallowed visibly. "You're saying you got _cruicio_-ed?" Harry nodded, and if possible, Snape's face got even more ashen. "How many times?" he asked, slightly hoarse.

Harry's brow creased. "Twice. But, don't worry, the 'Golden Boy' is fine now," he said spitefully, using air quotations. He was still a bit spiteful about how Snape had ripped his shirt off in front of Dumbledore. Then, he took a closer look at the potions professor's face, and realized that he wasn't concerned about his destiny, but with _him_ as a _person_. How strange.

Snape seemed to not have heard him. "At such a young age… how old were you, fourteen?" Harry nodded again. Snape sat down on his heels. Harry had never seen him so beaten.

"I'm sure you've had worse," Harry said quickly.

Snape grunted. "Oh, yes. But it still is very painful…" he drifted off.

"Erm, professor?" Harry asked, concerned.

Snape seemed to snap out of whatever reverie he was in. "It seems like I'll be having another talk with the headmaster and Poppy." He leaned forward again, completely absorbed in applying the disinfectant to Harry, stony mask on.

"_What hasss Sssevere-Ssstern sssso agitated?"_ Nagini asked.

"_I jusssst told him about the time I got _cruicccio_-ed when I was captured by your previousss massster."_

The serpent hissed angrily. "_I will never let him do that to you again, Army-Leader."_

"_I know, Nagini. But sssssome thingssss you cannot help."_

A few minutes of silence later, Snape said, "Turn over." He did so, and bared his back to the professor. He felt deft fingers massage the salve over his wounds. Thankfully, he had gotten used to the sting, and it was more relaxing than painful. "I will allow you to do the more… private areas yourself," Snape said stiffly.

"Thanks," Harry said, voice muffled by the cushions. He turned back over, preparing to get up, but Snape pushed him back down.

"I'm not done yet," he said. He put down the bright blue vial (which was now depleted), and picked up a rich green one. "I know you are going to ask me what this is, so I'll tell you. This is what will actually be healing you."

Snape began applying it to his chest. The stinging that Harry had gotten accustomed to had immediately stopped, and he sighed in relief. Nagini's tongue flitted over his face comfortingly.

Harry tried not to think of how surreal this whole situation was. First, the Dark Lord's snake turned good was now his best friend. Now, Snape was acting _almost_ civil towards him, not making _near_ as many snarky remarks about how he was "spoiled," "pampered," and "just like his father." In fact, those comments had ceased entirely. It was probably because he had seen first hand what his home life was really like. Honestly, it was a welcome change.

Snape motioned for him to turn over. He buried his head in the dark blue cushions, trying not to tense up. Years of animosity had him reflexibly shying away from his touch. He remembered when Snape had thrown a jar of cockroaches at his head. Well, he had warranted it. It was wrong to look in his pensieve. Harry stopped that line of thought before his mind went onto subjects even more upsetting.

"Potter, get up." Harry sat up to look at Snape. His wounds were still visible, but not festering or oozing like they had been.

"Thanks," he said in a small voice. He picked up the cloak, carefully unfolded it, and put it back on his shoulders. He cleared his throat. "Thanks for healing me," he tried again.

Snape hummed and turned away. "You're welcome." He turned back around and showed him a cup of steaming, slate gray drink. Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust, and Snape noticed this and his brow creased. "This is a nutrient potion. If I hear, or find out that you haven't been drinking this every night as directed, the consequences will be dire."

Harry blinked. He, in all honesty, didn't want to know what these 'consequences' were. He nodded, huffing a sigh, and took the drink. It smelled like rotten eggs as he tipped it back. He just barely managed to control his gag reflex as he drank it. It felt like thick acid was going down his throat! It was repugnant!

Harry managed to choke all of it down without infuriating the potions master, so he counted that as a success. He swallowed many times to get the taste out of the back of his throat, to no avail. He looked up at Snape, who seemed satisfied that he had swallowed all of the abominable concoction.

Snape stood up gracefully, saying, "Come, Potter."

Harry got up (much less elegantly than the potions professor), and followed him to a hallway leading from the living room. Nagini followed them silently. They went down the hall some way, and a door appeared where Snape stopped.

Harry looked up at him, confused. "This is your room for the time being," he said, noticing his befuddled glance.

Harry tentatively opened the door. He had never had a room of his own, and that didn't count the room the Dursleys grudgingly 'gave' him. At Hogwarts, he had always shared a large dormitory with the Gryffindors his age.

He opened the door all the way, staring. It was, like the rest of the place, deep blue. His jaw dropped as he took in the room. It was nicer than anyplace he had ever stayed. There was a twin sized bed on the far wall, and on the right was a dark brown wooden dresser. On his left, there was a large closet that he could probably pace in, if he tried.

Snape took his silence the wrong way. "If this _room_," he snarled, "is _not_ to your _liking_, you can go to the _headmaster_ and complain to _him_."

Harry jumped. "No, no, no. I like it." He turned to face Snape. "It's actually nicer than anywhere I've stayed before." He slowly looked up to see his face. Harry's eyebrows rose. Snape almost looked…

HPHPHPHPHP

Severus' thoughts were racing. Potter almost looked… thankful. He had told the house elves to create a room for a guest while he had gone to get the potions. The boy had been acting differently lately. Much meeker, much less arrogant. _But what if he wasn't arrogant in the first place?_ his subconscious said. _What if you were placing the image of his father over him?_

Severus mentally shook his head. The only part of Lily in Harry Potter was her eyes. Nothing else. _Well, he does have her temper,_ his mind supplied. _She never did accept fools gladly._

Was he calling himself a fool?

Perhaps.


	7. Eye of the Storm

_Snape almost looked…_

remorseful.

He looked deep in thought. Loath to break the silence, Harry slipped out of the room… _his_ room, to get his things. He picked up his trunk, piling his purchases on top of it. He staggered back down the hallway under the weight of the items in his arms. Snape was still standing in the doorway, looking lost. Wow, Harry never thought he'd see the day when he silenced the potions professor.

Nagini spoke up. "_What isss wrong with Ssssevere-Sssstern now?"_ she asked.

"_I have no idea,"_ Harry replied. "_It might have been ssssomething I ssssaid."_ Harry was getting more and more accustomed to speaking in parseltongue. He might not even have to look at a snake to speak it anymore! He placed his things on his bed. He sorted through his new school supplies and his clothes. He put the things for school in his trunk. He took out his wand, solely because he _might_ need it.

He stuck it in his back pocket, and set to folding his new robes. He now officially owned no muggle clothes. He folded his trousers and shirts, and put them in the top two drawers on his dresser. He hung up his robes and cloaks in his closet. He had left two items of clothing out- a pair of trousers and a top to put on.

He glanced at the door, looking to see if Snape was still there. The professor was nowhere in sight. He walked over and closed it. He still had some shreds of his dignity left, and he was determined to keep them.

He took off the cloak and shivered. How anyone managed to live here was beyond him. He quickly slid on the shirt and buttoned the dark green fabric up. He stepped out of his trousers, goose bumps popping up everywhere from the cold. He quickly stepped into the black trousers he had gotten earlier, and buttoned them up. It was great having clothes that actually fit him.

He was still a bit cold, so he put his black cloak back over his shoulders. He warmed up almost instantly. There must have been a warming charm on it. Harry placed the trunk under his bed.

He walked back out of the room to where Nagini was lounging on the couch. Well, as best as she could. She was half draped across the floor, thanks to her length. Snape was nowhere in sight.

"_Do you know where Sssssevere-Ssssstern went to?"_ Harry asked her. She lazily raised her head.

"_Yessssss. Over there."_ She lifted up the end of her tail and pointed over to the hallway Harry had just came out of.

"_Yeah, I know that, but did he come out of that hallway?"_ he asked. Nagini shook her head.

"_No… but he did go into another room."_

Aaah, so that must be his personal room. Harry didn't dare go in _there_. Forget about the consequences of not drinking his potion, if he went in there, he was sure to die a horrible, slow, and gruesome death.

Suddenly tired, he leaned back against his serpent, and fell asleep.

HPHPHPHPHP

Severus rubbed his head. That show of thankfulness that Potter had shown had temporarily broken down his barriers. Luckily, there had been no legilimency masters around, other than himself.

That little bit of emotion that had wormed its way past his walls had made him rethink his attitude about the youngest Potter. Severus had seen him over the past day, and, in fact, he was nothing like the arrogant, egotistical brat he had thought him to be. Instead, he had seen the quiet, respectable fifteen-year-old that his colleagues had spoken so fondly of.

But, it might be an act. _Severus,_ his mind said, _why must you doubt him so much?_ Severus briefly wondered if he had a split personality.

He mentally sighed. He didn't want Potter to get lost, get cursed, get blown up, or do something forbidden, solely because Severus didn't want to be responsible for his death.

He walked out of his rooms, straightening his robes and his back. He walked up the hallway, looking into Potter's room. He wasn't there, but everything was organized. He was in the middle of putting things away when he left to his rooms. He turned away from the door, and went to the living room. Sure enough, Severus found him there, resting on his snake, with her head on top of his.

There was one problem, though. Potter was shifting around in his sleep, restlessly. Instead of the serene face of the sleeping, his features were scrunched up, as if he was in pain.

More alarmed than he ought to be, Severus walked over and shook his shoulder. Potter gasped out, eyes opening abruptly. Potter sat up, startling him. He backed up, staring at him.

"What was that?" Severus said lowly.

Potter swung his legs over the side of the couch, not answering his question. Angered, Severus stood in front of him, not allowing him to get up. "_What_ was _that_?" he repeated dangerously.

Potter swallowed. "A dream… can you please move? I need to get something…" he trailed off as he saw Severus' thunderous face.

"Have you not been clearing your mind since you have known about my certain… position? Of course you haven't. What if the Dark Lord had seen? Imbecile!" he raged. His temper stuttered when he saw Potter shrink away from his raised voice.

By that time, Nagini had been fully woken up. She shot up immediately, hissing something at Potter. He hissed something back, and the snake glared at Severus. Did the boy tell her to attack? He backed up warily. He'd seen firsthand how her venom had killed people. It stopped your blood from clotting around the wound, eventually making you bleed out if she hadn't eaten you whole yet.

Obviously, Potter had told her to back off, because she spat and curled up tightly, as if she was sulking. He stood up and speed-walked stiffly toward his rooms, the serpent following him. Severus wondered what he was doing. He went just as quickly as Potter did, and stopped as he saw him, seated on his bed, scribbling something down. He was shivering uncontrollably, and Nagini was curled around him protectively, whispering something in his ear.

He marched over, planning to give Potter the rebuking of his lifetime when he stopped dead. He caught a few words that he was scrawling down.

_Voldemort. Planning. Number 4 Privet Drive. _

What in Merlin's name did that mean? Was it his dream?

Potter breathed out a sigh. He placed the parchment down to the side, and laid down. He shivered again, and the snake curled up further around him. She eyed Severus as he picked up the discarded piece of paper.

This is what it read: _**J**__uly 12, 19__**96**__. Voldem__**o**__rt still furious over loss of N__**a**__gini. Pl__**an**__ning to attac__**k**_ _Numbe__**r **__4 Privet D__**riv**__e, all D.E. force__**. **__Blood wards __**fa**__llen. Suspects __**a s**__py in ranks, must warn Snap__**e**__._

The boy was actually thinking of warning him of the Dark Lord's suspicion? Of course, Severus already knew that he was doubting the loyalty of his inner circle, but he had no reason to accuse the potions master of treason. He had been very careful about what information he had let him know, and even then, his occlumency walls had remained firm and placid. Placid, meaning that he used the image of water to mask his thoughts. Now that he thought about it with a slightly less biased mind, he probably could have taught Potter better the year before.

Wait, Potter!

He hadn't moved from where he had collapsed down onto the bed. He didn't want him to have another dream while he was sleeping. Not only that, it was very unnatural for anyone to just pass out like that.

Unlike when Severus had seen him earlier, Potter was still. His face was pale with blotchy red spots on his cheeks and sweaty. The snake's tongue was flicking out worriedly at him. Severus cast a spell, waving his wand over him. 38.9°C, 102.02°F, it read. Potter had a fever. Just wonderful.

He walked out of the room and went into his potions lab. He snatched up a phial of fever reducer potion, and went back to Potter. Ignoring the warning hisses from the blasted snake, he pried the boy's mouth open and poured it down his throat. Almost immediately, you could see the effects of the potion. His face turned to a much more normal color, and his breathing, which had sounded restricted earlier, had levelled out.

Potter took in a sharp breath, and his eyes shot open. He struggled to sit up, but Nagini's weight hindered him. The serpent quickly unwound herself from him, and he got up. Potter, no longer shivering, stared at Severus. What was the boy thinking now?

HPHPHPHPHP

_Did Snape just… _he stopped his line of thoughts. It wouldn't have been the first time the professor had healed him. He tore his eyes away from Snape's, and they rested on the piece of parchment that he had strewn to the side. Did Snape read it? He looked back at the towering man. He looked angry.

Harry remembered how he had not felt the _cruciatus_ curse when Nagini was wrapped around him. For some reason, he had felt it that time. Some unfortunate Death Eater of a lower rank had experienced Voldemort's wrath. Maybe he was only protected by the serpent when she completely wound herself around him.

"Potter, we need to talk." Uh, oh, that never meant anything well. Snape swept out of his room, dramatic as ever.

Harry beckoned Nagini to follow him into the living room. Snape was sitting on the couch, fingers steepled under his chin. What a sight to see. "What is it?" Harry asked, trying not to sound sullen. Like Snape _needed _a reason to get mad at him. But, maybe with Nagini around, he wouldn't be as horrible as usual.

He stood in front of Snape, nervous. Nagini rose up beside him, yellow eyes flashing. Obviously, she still didn't trust him.

Snape raised his head from his fingers. "I will be needing to teach you occlumency."

Of all the things Harry was expecting, that wasn't one of them. "_What_?!" he yelled. Nagini, agitated, looked up at him as if to say, '_Are you okay?'_ Harry nodded at her.

The potions professor looked slightly peeved. "Yes." He seemed to be choking on the next words to come out of his mouth. "I… understand that my… previous instruction may not have been… satisfactory. I am willing to teach you again, if you do not wish to experience these dreams." Harry immediately declined the offer with a hastily shook head. Snape then looked truly angry. "Do you want my cover to be blown?" he hissed at Harry.

"No, sir," Harry responded quickly. He truly believed no one deserved such a fate as that.

"Then you will be taking occlumency lessons with me. I don't care," he said as Harry started to object, "that you may find it… unpleasant. It is necessary, however."

Harry pursed his lips in a sigh. "Fine." He looked at the kitchen, which was behind the couch. "When do we start?"

"Now would be preferable." Harry froze up, trying not to start panicking. Come on, he had survived Umbridge's class, he could definitely do this. With that thought bolstering him, he took a deep breath and walked closer. "Sit." Snape pointed at the cushion next to him. Harry licked his lips and sat.

"What now?" he asked. He wondered if Snape would start shooting _legilimens_ at him again.

He responded by closing his eyes and saying, as if strangled, "You have to trust me for this part." Harry's head shot towards him, stunned.

_Trust him?_ "Erm," he cleared his throat. "I guess I could trust you… I mean, you have sort of healed me over the past day, and all."

Snape seemed to take that as an acceptable answer. He opened his eyes, and held his hands out. He hesitated. "Tell your snake to not kill me."

Harry nodded, and turned to look at Nagini, who was still on the floor, head level with Harry's. "_Nagini,"_ Harry said. "_I have a feeling that Ssssnape isssss about to do sssssomething weird, ssssso don't bite him, or anything."_ Nagini nodded and backed away.

Snape then turned on the sofa, facing Harry, legs crossed. "Turn to look at me," he said awkwardly. To think that the professor could do _anything_ awkward was almost beyond him, but he mirrored Snape's position obediently.

What Snape did next was baffling. He took a deep breath and held it in like he was sensing a bad smell. He said, "Close your eyes," and placed his fingers on Harry's temples. He managed not to jump, but _wow_. Those fingers were freezing! Harry closed his eyes.

Unlike the typical darkness that greeted him when he closed his eyes, he saw sparks zooming past, as if he were moving through space at a super fast speed.

_That is imbecilic,_ a voice echoed in his head.

_What? Snape?_ he thought.

_Professor Snape, Potter,_ the voice rebuked. _I have gained entry into your mind. Can you sense me with that impossibly big head of yours?_

Harry probed in his mind, and sure enough, he found the mind that was Snape's- no, _Professor_ Snape's. _I doubt you actually think I have a big head, given what you've seen today,_ Harry retorted.

Silence. Finally, _Can you attempt to push me out? I am getting a migraine from all of these pointless thoughts being tossed around._

Harry suddenly was angry. _Why don't you get yourself out?_ he grumbled as he slammed against Snape's presence as hard as he could. He didn't budge. Harry wasn't surprised. It obviously wasn't chance that the man was called a master of his art.

The next few minutes were filled with Harry determinedly trying to dislocate the professor, and failing. He had tried slamming into him, tripping him, pushing him, and all sorts of other things. Harry grew more and more frustrated.

Finally, Snape said, or rather thought, _That is enough._ He abruptly pulled out of his mind, leaving his eyes black with darkness. Harry opened them, and Snape was standing up, about to go into full lecture mode.

"You have seen how difficult it is for you to push out a _legilimens_ out of your mind once he or she is already inside." Harry nodded, and Snape continued. "It takes a master occlumens to be able to do that. Therefore, it is vital for you to know how to _keep_ them _out_."

Harry wondered why he hadn't done this last year. Then again, if the potions master had put his hands anywhere _near _his head even a few months ago, he would have attempted to curse him into oblivion, professor or not.

Harry nodded, saying, "How do you do that?" He was actually making an effort to be civil to the man. The world was officially turned on its head.

Snape started pacing. "It is slightly different for everyone. For me, I shield my mind in a lake of dark water. For you, it might be a fire, clouds, a forest, earth, or anything else. I know someone who, instead of placid waters, has a raging ocean protecting him." He glanced at Harry, to see if he was taking all of this in.

Harry was, but he had one question. "How do you find what this shield is for yourself?"

"It is a matter of meditation and mental control. If you do not have either, you will be having a hard time mastering occlumency." He stopped right in front of Harry. "Any questions?" he seemed to choke out.

He actually did have one. "How do you meditate?"

Snape seemed to refrain from rolling his eyes. "How do you not know how to meditate?" he grumbled under his breath. He sighed. "You need to find a focal point. This could be a breath, a flame, a chant, whatever suits you. This allows you to concentrate on what your 'shield' could be." Harry nodded to show that he understood. "Do not concentrate on controlling your breathing, just do it naturally. Attempt to do this for three minutes, then we'll go from there."

Harry said, "Okay." He closed his eyes, trusting the professor not to do anything. He sat there on the couch, trying to find a focal point. He tried focusing on his breathing, but he wasn't able to concentrate on that. He then opened his eyes and stared into the flames that were in the hearth in front of him. He watched the dancing fire, directing his mental abilities there.

Thankfully, that was a success, and he gazed into the flames, noting how the fire jumped up and twirled around… like… like a snake. A snake! He held onto that image, and the fiery bands in the fireplace soon solidified into a dark green mass. The mass thickened and largened, and yellow eyes flashed in his mind. Wait. Harry recognized those eyes! They were Nagini's.

Could it be possible for an _animal_ to guard a mind?

He had just thought of that idea when Snape suddenly said, "It has been three minutes." Harry jumped, head whipping toward him. Snape smirked, and said, "Given from your meditation point, I'm guessing you wish your wall to be fire?" Harry shook his head, and Snape looked annoyed. "Did you not find what your shield would be?" he asked, peeved.

"No, no, it's not that. I just have a different idea."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he asked. "Do tell."

"Erm…" Snape twisted his wrist, in a motion asking him to go on. "Is it possible… perhaps… to shield your mind… with a creature?" he asked.

HPHPHPHPHP

Severus tried not to look surprised. He had honestly not thought of that before, and he considered himself to be a master of both occlumency and legilimency. "I suppose that would be possible," he said. "But I suspect it would be much more difficult to manage than a natural formation."

The boy shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Severus ignored the blatant disregard of respect thrown his way. "What animal did you have in mind?" he asked, curious.

"Well…" Potter hesitated, for some unknown reason. "I was looking into the fire, and I noticed how the flames looked like snakes, and that progressed into me thinking of Nagini, coiled around me. Well, you don't know this, but she likes to wrap herself around my entire body." The next thing he said was so quiet, Severus almost didn't hear him. "It makes me feel safe."

He remembered how, when he had seen him at the Dursleys', he had been entirely enveloped by the serpent. Severus could see how that would make him feel… protected.

"We will attempt this shield. Who knows, it might work." Severus sat down again gracefully. "Close your eyes again, Potter."

"Harry," the boy said suddenly.

"Pardon?" Severus asked, confused.

"Harry… call me Harry. We'll be stuck here for the near future, so you might as well call me by my first name, professor."

Severus thought for a second. _You have to admit, he isn't what you originally thought him to be. He isn't his mother… but he isn't his father, either. Give him a chance._ "Very well, Harry." The name felt strange on his tongue. He made an uncharacteristically split second decision. "You may call me Severus in private, for that matter." He internally cringed. Why had he done that, again? (A/N: It's because the author of this story is evil… hehehe…)

Pott- no. Harry blinked, surprised. "Errr, okay, erm, S-Se-everus," he stammered. Severus held in a sigh, and breathed out slowly. Now would not be a good time to lose his famous temper.

"Harry. I need you to close your eyes." Flustered, he complied. "Now I want you to think of Nagini. Let her envelop your mind, guarding it." Severus watched as he frowned in concentration. Suddenly, his face relaxed and he and a faint smile graced his features. Severus reached out and replaced his fingers on Harry's temples, entering his mind to see his progress.

He saw, instead of the black, starry place that was Harry's mind, the large, coiling snake winding itself repeatedly around his presence. Severus couldn't help but sit back on his mental heels in astonishment. He had expected gaping holes to be in his defences, but his shield was as solid and firm as someone who had been practicing occlumency for _years_.

Severus poked around the edges of his mind, testing to see if the barriers were as strong as they seemed. Sure enough, as soon as he had _touched_ the boy's mental defences, the image of Nagini lashed out, and Severus jumped away just in time as her jaws snapped shut where he used to be. Wow, that was close.

Severus pulled out of Harry's mind. He tried not to think of how proficient he might have been by now if he had taught him correctly in the first place. Harry, sensing Severus' departure from his mind, opened his eyes and said, "S-Severus? Erm, was that okay?" he asked timidly.

Severus decided to swallow his pride and look him in the eye. "Harry, I think that defence is best for you. I have got to say, I have not seen a shield that strong procured so quickly ever before."

Harry looked stunned. "Really? I was just thinking of how safe I felt…" He looked like he wanted to say more, but was thinking otherwise.

"Spit it out, Po- Harry," Severus said.

Harry blinked. "Oh… well, I was just wondering what you meant by saying 'clear your mind' last year," he said, using air quotes.

It was Severus' turn to not have anything to say. He thought about the answer for a few seconds. "Hmmm… for most people, they have to clear their mind of emotions to gain a sufficient shield. You, on the other hand, _used_ the strong emotions you are known for to guard you."

Harry nodded. "That makes sense."

"However strong your shield is, it will be useless if you have to close your eyes and leave yourself physically defenceless. To practice, I need you to occlude during everyday tasks. During meals, while reading, and even while asleep."

Harry looked bewildered. "How am I supposed to do that?" he asked.

Severus was actually pleased that he asked that question. "You have to practice being able to use your shield, making it look like you are not." Harry nodded, gaze drifting to Nagini, who was still on the floor, looking at them intently.

Harry hissed at the serpent, and it spoke back. Severus found it faintly irritating that he could not understand what they were saying. A minute or two passed, and Severus cleared his throat. He jumped in surprise, and looked over at him. "Yes, sir?" he asked politely.

"Is there anything else you would like to ask on the subject of occlumency?"

Harry shook his head.

"If that is all, I will tell you the rules that you have to follow when you are in my care." Severus waited to see the nod of his head. "Rule number one: You may leave my quarters whenever you desire, however do not get yourself into any of the heroics you are infamous for. Rule number two: You may call me Severus, but only when we are in private. I still am a spy. Rule number three: You are not allowed in my room, unless it is a life-or-death scenario. You do not have a curfew, but you need to be able to get out of bed and function properly by 8:30 in the morning. You can also do magic inside the castle. The wards, and just the sheer amount of magic in this building, block you from The Trace."

"Okay, I understand," Harry said when Severus had finished. Suddenly, they heard a tapping at the door to the hallway. All three heads whipped over to look at the back of the portrait. Severus raised his eyebrows. Usually people didn't come down to the dungeons often.

Severus swept up and went to the doorway. He silently opened it, and a white blur zoomed past him as he stepped aside instinctually. His eyes widened fractionally from surprise as the blur rested itself on Harry's shoulder.

"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed. The blur was, in fact, a beautiful snowy owl with large amber eyes. Severus saw Nagini hiss dangerously and stand up. Things were about to get interesting.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

"Hedwig!" Harry said, pleased.

He raised his hand to stroke the top of her head when he heard Nagini hiss, "_Army- Leader. Isssss that owl a threat?"_ and slide up to head level.

Harry quickly allayed her fears. "_No, thissss isss my owl, War-Combat." _He then noticed a rolled up parchment tied to her leg. Hedwig, sensing this, held out her right leg, waiting for him to untie the letter. He took it, unrolling the parchment.

The short letter said:

_Hey, Harry!_

_Your owl kept poking all of us in the head, and flying towards the window. We thought that she wanted to go to you, mate. I wonder why, though… huh. Well, things have been interesting at the Burrow. I'll tell you once I know that this letter has reached you, if she really wanted to see you._

_See you later!_

_Ron_

Harry smiled. Nothing could cheer him up like a letter from one of his friends. He distractedly wondered how he'd react to him being under Sna- no, Severus' care, and with Nagini as a familiar. Harry watched as Nagini's eyes narrowed on Hedwig. Oh, no. Were they going to start having a rivalry? He dearly hoped not.

Sn- Severus walked over from his point at the door. It seemed like he had been waiting for the danger with Nagini to pass, and he stood beside where Harry was sitting.

"Do I sense some jealousy?" Severus asked, smirking, looking at the serpent.

"I wouldn't provoke her if I were you," he said. "Even if she doesn't understand you."

He responded by raising an eyebrow and saying, "If you need me, I will be in the potions lab." He swept away with a snap of his cloak. Harry wondered if he always wore heavy teaching robes.

Nagini was still sending glares at Hedwig. Harry chuckled, and said, "_Nagini, you shouldn't worry about my owl. Sssseriously, she'ssss no threat whatssssoever."_

The serpent blinked and looked away. "_That… isss not exactly the problem…"_ she hissed sadly.

Harry then knew his previous worries weren't unfounded. "_Come here,"_ he said, gesturing to himself. Nagini happily complied, wrapping herself around his body. This startled Hedwig from his shoulder, and onto the small table next to the couch. He prepared himself for the speech he was about to give, taking a deep breath. "_No matter how clossse I am to War-Combat, it will never, ever compare to my love for you."_ Yes, it may have been only a few days since their union, but Harry felt as if he had known her all his life. He had a feeling Nagini felt the same, because she squeezed him slightly. "_You mean a lot to me, Nagini."_

"_Thankssss, Army-Leader."_ Her tongue flicked out to touch the side of his face. "_Now, are you going to tell me what exxxxactly wassss happening with you and Sssevere-Sssstern?"_

Harry chuckled. Her tongue tickled! Harry started to explain. "_Well, I had another dream, assss you already know."_ The snake nodded. "_Ssn… Ssssevere-Sssstern wassss helping me put up shieldssss around my mind to sssstop the dreamssss. And we were sssuccesssssful!"_

Nagini looked proud. Harry was getting better and better at guessing her facial expressions. "_That'ssss great, Army-Leader! What form did your barriersss take?"_ she asked.

Harry suddenly felt sheepish. "_You, Nagini… you."_

The serpent's eyes widened. "_Really? That… issss very flattering…"_ she said, trailing off.

Harry had a question that had been nagging at the back of his head for a while. He stroked the back of her head, making the snake close her eyes like a cat. "_Hey, I was wondering. Why did you leave The Forssssaken One when he had done much worsssse thingssss in front of you before?"_ he asked tentatively. He didn't want to break their friendship from a misplaced word.

Thankfully, she didn't take offense. She gave a long hiss that Harry identified as a pensive sigh. "_I guesssss that once I had losssst my brethren, I undersssstood what it wassss like for you humanssss when my previoussss masssster killed with abandon. It wassssn't just the fact that he had broken hisssss promissssse in a ssssspectacular manner, it wasss that I now had empathy for the victimssss of The Forssssaken One."_

Harry hummed. "_That makessss ssssenssssse."_ He closed his eyes, envisioning Nagini coiled around not only his body, but his mind. He opened them when he was successfully occluding, sighing contentedly.

Maybe, just maybe, things were going to turn out okay. (A/N: Hehehe…)


	8. Capture

Harry blearily opened his eyes. The night before, he has gone to his bed after the clock suspended on the wall had read eight. Hedwig has 'asked' to go to the owlery. The dungeons weren't a place for an owl, after all. After that, he really didn't have anything better to do, so he decided he would go to sleep to test whether his occlumency barriers would hold up while he was asleep. He hadn't had any dreams about Voldemort and his nocturnal prowls, so Harry decided it was a success.

He stretched, waking Nagini, who was stretched out beside him. "_Army-Leader, are you okay?"_ she asked drowsily.

Harry nodded."_I jusssst got the bessssst night of ssssleep I've has in a while."_ Well, that wasn't exactly true. He had some disturbing dreams about something that was bright silver, and giggly, sinister laughing. It wasn't much, and it obviously wasn't a dream from Voldemort, because his scar wasn't even tingling. He shouldn't worry either Nagini or S-Severus about something as trivial as nightmares.

He climbed out of his bed slowly. He needed to use the bathroom, and thankfully, there was one on the other side of the room. He opened the door, and entered the restroom. It was nice looking, the same color scheme as the rest of the house. He did his business, washed his hands, and went back out. He sighed and walked over to his dresser, shivering. If he had thought the dungeons were cold in the afternoon, it was nothing compared to the chilliness in the morning.

He picked out a gray jumper and black trousers. What he wouldn't give for a pair of jeans! He quickly changed clothes, jumping from the freezing floor back onto his bed. He wrapped himself with his blanket. Man, it was cold!

He took a deep breath, resolving to get up. He threw the quilt off and trekked over to his closet. He pulled out a cloak, understanding why Severus wore heavy robes all the time. He was still getting used to using the man's first name. It sounded strange on his lips, like it was something he was forbidden to say. Or think.

He replaced the blanket with the black fabric, warming instantly. He sighed in contentment. Then, he realized that Nagini hadn't moved from her spot on the bed. Alarmed, Harry walked forward to check if she was okay.

Her eyes were closed, and he held a hand out to touch her scales. They were ice cold! Now frightened, Harry asked, "_Nagini! Are you okay? What issss happening?"_

The snake blinked her eyes open. At least she was alive. "_Sssso… cold…"_ she managed. Harry forced himself to calm down, lest he have a panic attack.

He took his wand from the nightstand, and held it over Nagini. He cast a warming charm on her, but it just bounced off of her. He had to duck because it rebounded at his head. _Grrr,_ Harry thought. _Magic-repelling scales. I forgot._ In many dreams, he had witnessed many a spell backfire on the caster, trying to attack the huge serpent. Then, another charm came to mind.

He remembered something Professor Flitwick said earlier in his Hogwarts career.

HPHPHPHPHP

_The tiny professor walked across the front of the room, in full lecture mode. Harry, who was in third year, was dozing off, drifting in and out of consciousness. He hadn't got that much sleep the night before, thanks to Ron tossing and turning, silently mourning the loss of his rat._

_Suddenly, without warning, he snapped to attention at what something Flitwick was saying._

"_... and, if you ever have the need to levitate an object that repels magic, you can do the feather-light charm just the same. The spell doesn't affect the outside of the object, it makes the object itself lighter. Now, say with me- _per fusorius."

_Somehow, Harry knew that this information would help him in the future, he just didn't know when._

_HPHPHPHPHP_

Thankfully, he now knew that lesson could possibly save his snake's life. He re-pointed his wand at her, and said the incantation. "_Per fusorius_." Harry couldn't see the effect the spell had on Nagini, but he could test it. He quickly attempted to pick up the serpent, and sure enough, the ten-foot creature was as light as a feather.

He wrapped Nagini around his torso under his cloak, applying sticking charms in various locations. He could feel her coils tightening as she warmed up. Her head rested on his shoulder as Harry stuck the end of her tail to the top of his foot.

"_Thank you again, Army-Leader,"_ Nagini whispered.

"_No problem,"_ Harry replied, grunting. The snake was very lightweight, but her mass was also very restrictive. He glanced up at the clock. It was eight twenty. He wondered if Sn- no, Severus was up yet. He walked out of the bedroom, and sure enough, the potions master was sitting at the table, a book in his hand. He came over and sat at the table, and Severus looked up at him.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus was sitting at his circular dining room table, reading an interesting book about potions theory. He absently wondered if Po- no, Harry, would be up by his set time. He closed his eyes as he remembered what he had seen the day before.

Harry, wrapped with the one living thing, other than the Dark Lord, that would be the most likely thing to kill him on the spot. Harry, in a room full of bloodstains. Harry, apparently sleep- deprived and nightmare-haunted.

But, he refused to feel any empathy for the boy.

Right?

The worst part was, Severus had gone through something similar as a young child. His father was a strict disciplinarian, sometimes bordering on the edge of abuse, but it was nothing like what Harry had gone through in his fifteen years of life.

He opened his eyes once he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Sure enough, it was Harry, and he glanced down at his book to make it seem as if he had been reading. Severus discreetly glanced at the clock across from him, and his eyes flicked down. Eight twenty. Not bad. Then again, the Dursleys would have gotten him up much earlier than this, considering the obvious laziness that permeated every surface of that house.

He heard something sit down across from him. It was obviously Harry. He looked up from his book, and immediately knew something was… off. He was wearing his cloak, for one, and his body seemed lumpy.

He frowned. "What, exactly, do you have under your cloak?" he asked.

Harry fidgeted. "Well, Nagini was getting cold, so I put sticking charms around me for her to share my body heat."

Did he hear correctly? Was that ginormous, 90 kilogram snake wrapped around him? How did he manage to walk anywhere?

"Oh," Harry said, sensing his bewilderment. "I also did a feather-light charm on her."

Severus suddenly felt foolish. He leaned back in his chair, breathing out slowly, and regaining his composure. Casting off this latest event, he asked, "What would you like for breakfast?"

He looked surprised that he had asked. "Oh… erm, I would like a piece of toast," Harry replied.

He called out a house elf's name. "Juggle!" he barked. A split second later, a _crack_ rang through the room, and Juggle popped into the room. "Bring some toast for Harry, over there." Severus pointed to him, and she nodded.

"Yes, Master Snape," she said in a squeaky voice. The house elf apparated away, and Severus looked back at Harry.

"Yesterday was rather hectic, so you have an excuse for missing dinner. However, you will be required to eat three meals a day from now on." Harry nodded, and he thought that was the end of that. "I wish to speak with you about your dream yesterday." He watched as the boy's face blanched.

"So… you _did_ read what I wrote." He sounded hoarse.

"Yes, I did. I believe you mentioned the wards around Number 4 Privet Drive falling," Severus prodded.

"Sir, you have to believe me, I _did_ see them planning it, and-" Harry started.

"_Harry_," he broke in. "Did I not tell you to call me by my first name?" He watched as the boy's- no, _young man's_\- head dropped to his chest. "I do believe you. I also know that the Dark Lord is suspecting a spy in his ranks, but I am one of his most trusted servants." _More like slaves,_ his conscience said.

Harry looked more relaxed after that statement. "But what are we going to do about the Dursleys?"

"I thought you would be less concerned about the welfare of your Aunt, Uncle, and cousin," Severus commented.

Harry looked thoughtful for a second. "Well… I don't think anyone deserves to die like that… not even my Uncle Vernon, though he did… you know." He seemed to shrink down on himself, and Severus saw a pink tongue flash out to touch his cheek. That seemed to bolster him, and he continued. "At the end, Dudley wasn't so bad. He cleaned my wounds for me, at night."

He had never seen this 'Dudley' with his own eyes, but in his mind, he pictured an extremely overweight teenager with blond hair. "What made him 'bad' earlier?" Severus asked.

"Well…" Harry seemed to have trouble with continuing. He glanced down. "Dudley and his gang used to participate in something called 'Harry hunting.' I don't think you need any clarification on what that implies," he said, fiddling with his fingers on the tabletop.

Severus was secretly astonished at his vocabulary. _Why didn't he use this type of language in his essays?_ he wondered. He didn't voice this question, seeing that Harry was feeling uncomfortable. Usually, this didn't bother him, but he didn't want him to close up on him. He thought he remembered something along these lines due to last year's occlumency lessons.

The house elf returned with the toast, offering it to the young man. "Master Harry, Juggle has returned with Master's toast."

"Thank you," Harry automatically responded, picking up the plate.

The house elf looked astonished. "Master Harry is so kind! Thanking a lowly h- house elf like- like Juggle-" she broke off, huge blue eyes tearing up.

Severus resisted the urge to laugh when Harry looked up, alarmed. He couldn't, however, completely keep the smirk off his face. "_Don't just sit there!"_ Harry mouthed, trying to gently peel off the now sobbing house elf. His smirk split into a wide grin, and he couldn't help a small chuckle escaping his lips.

When Harry started glaring at him, he finally intervened. "Juggle, we all know how gracious Harry is, but you need to go back to the kitchens."

Juggle slowly unwrapped her arms from Harry's robes, not noticing Nagini, who was curiously watching the entire scene. "Yes, Master Severus, I is sorry for losing control. Not many people thanks a house elfs, you know." She apparated away, giving Harry one last adoring look.

Harry looked fuming. "You know you could have stopped that from happening, right?" He took an angry bite out of his toast.

"Yes, but it wouldn't have been as amusing."

"So, you _do_ have a sense of humor." He still looked sour, but not as angry as before. "I think many people were starting to think you didn't."

Severus flicked his wrist. He leaned back into his chair, making it groan. "Well, I do find your attempts at writing potions essays funny. It is quite therapeutic to write scathing comments on the margins of your homework." Harry looked stunned. "Yes, I can tell a joke," Severus griped.

Harry quirked up a side of his mouth. He started to stroke Nagini's head on his shoulder, looking more relaxed than Severus had ever seen him. It was probably because he was one: wrapped in his snake, and two: not being attacked by Severus' verbal barbs. He tried not to think of how relaxed Harry would feel if the Dark Lord were killed.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry ate another bite of his toast. He hadn't been just angry at Sn- Severus, for not intervening, but because of the obvious emotional neglect of house elves in general. It reminded him of himself, how he was treated at the Dursleys'.

He was still petting Nagini on the top of the head. "So… what _are_ we going to do about the Dursleys?" Harry asked.

Severus looked pensive. "We will tell the headmaster about your dream. We will follow his judgement, whatever it is."

"Is he in the castle?" Harry asked.

Severus nodded. "He should be. After you get finished with your toast, we can go up to the headmaster's office."

Harry swallowed the last bite of his toast. He already felt so full. He didn't want to know how he'd feel after three full meals. He stood up, whispering to Nagini. "_We'll be going to Dumbledore'sssss officccce to tell him about the dream."_ Of course, the serpent had seen the entire dream, as usual. Harry wondered if Voldemort ever slept. He seemed a bit… nocturnal.

They both silently walked from the kitchen to the front door. Portrait? Whatever. Harry turned to look at Salazar, and there he was, lounging in his picture frame. He waved, and Harry waved back.

"Please tell me you aren't waving to that talkative portrait," Severus grumbled.

Harry chuckled nervously. "Guilty as charged?"

Severus shook his head in exasperation. "What will I do with you?" he muttered.

They finally made their way to the headmaster's office. "Cauldron cakes," Harry said. The two gargoyles leapt aside, revealing the stairway to the room. They both stepped next to the huge bronze eagle, and they ascended. After a few quiet seconds, the eagle's wings slid over to reveal the office.

Harry wasn't sure that Dumbledore would be up that early, but sure enough, there he was, sitting at his desk, smiling at them. He pushed aside some papers as he said, "Harry! Severus! To what do I owe this pleasure? Surely here have not been complications yet?"

Severus made a small noise. "It depends on what one calls complications, headmaster."

Dumbledore, with his ever present twinkle, asked, "What ever is the problem?"

Severus motioned for Harry to continue. ""Well, I guess you have read the pieces of paper I gave you yesterday, right?" Dumbledore nodded. "Erm… I had another dream. I fell asleep on the couch, and Voldemort-" Severus made an almost undetectable flinch- "was planning on attacking Number 4 Privet Drive, since the blood wards fell. I'm guessing that was because I no longer think of it as home, right?" Dumbledore steepled his fingers and nodded again. "I also dreamt that Voldemort was suspecting a spy in his inner circle."

"You know what that means, Severus?" Dumbledore asked gravely.

"Yes," he replied, monotone. Harry wondered what on earth was going on. He resolved to ask once they got back to Severus' quarters.

"Sir, what are we going to do about the Dursleys?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore raised his chin from his fingers. "There still is a twenty four hour guard around the house, and will alert me the second something out of the ordinary happens. I knew the second Professor Snape entered Number 4 Privet Drive." Then, he looked confused. "Why would you be so worried about the lives of the people that… did this to you."

Harry shrugged. "Se- Professor Snape asked something like that earlier." Dumbledore smiled, obviously noticing the name slip-up. "I'll just tell you what I told him. I don't think anyone deserves a death like that… not even Vernon."

Dumbledore didn't look surprised. "Has anyone told you that you are too good for this world, Harry?" he asked.

Harry blushed and shook his head while Severus snorted.

Then, the headmaster's brow crinkled. "Harry, my boy, what is that under your cloak?"

Harry wordlessly touched the top of Nagini's head, and she rose from his robes. Harry saw Dumbledore's right hand instinctively twitch towards his wand, but it stilled just as quickly.

"They have become quite inseparable," Severus commented.

"Yes, I can see that," Dumbledore murmured.

Suddenly, a blaring sound filled the office. The headmaster, alarmed, sped toward a mirror that Harry hadn't noticed before. Surprisingly, Tonks' face filled it, and she gasped, "Dumbledore! No time to explain, but there was a sighting of You-Know-Who _at_ the Dursleys' house!"

Dumbledore frowned. "I'm afraid we were expecting this," he replied, and Tonks' face vanished from view. Dumbledore turned around and rushed toward his desk, grabbing a couple of items.

Harry heard a commotion behind him. Severus had doubled over, clutching an arm to his chest. "Headmaster," he groaned. "I have been called." The headmaster nodded gravely, and Severus ran from the room, throwing the door open in the process. The slam of the office door seemed to reverberate through the now silent room.

Harry, head still reeling from all of these consecutive events, said, "Professor, what can I do to help?"

Dumbledore threw a traveling cloak over his shoulders. "The best thing you can do, my boy, is stay out of danger."

Harry immediately objected. "No! I can help! I can fight!"

Dumbledore looked unconvinced for a split second, the twinkle vanishing from his eyes. Then, he seemed to resolve something in his mind, and Harry braced himself for a solid _no_.

The actual answer was the exact opposite from what he'd been expecting. "Yes, Harry you may come. _But_-" he said, upon seeing Harry's hopeful face, "you need to take Nagini from around your body. If I'm not mistaken, feather-light charms only last for thirty minutes at a time. And, you shouldn't have that hindrance in the middle of a battle."

Harry didn't even ask how Dumbledore knew what spell he had used. He released the sticking charms around his body, making the serpent slide to the ground. She was just fine, now that they weren't in the cold dungeons, but she still complained bitterly.

"_You know that feather-light charmsssss only lassssst for half an hour, Nagini. And we get to fight The Forsssssaken One!"_

Nagini perked up immediately. "_Oooh, really?"_ she practically purred. "_I can't wait to ssssee hisssss expresssssion when he noticccccesssss me."_

Harry chuckled.

"Harry, if we want to make it to the battlefield in time, we have to leave now!" Dumbledore said urgently.

Harry nodded, and beckoned Nagini to follow them. They ran all the way from the hallway outside the headmaster's office to the front gates, pure adrenaline powering him. Dumbledore was barely out of breath while Harry panted and skidded to a stop beside him. He refused to feel humiliated.

Harry picked up Nagini since the feather-light charm on her would be active for another five minutes. He quickly draped her around both of their shoulders, and they apparated to the front sidewalk of Number 4 Privet Drive.

The scene in front of them was quite an image to behold. There were robed and masked figures, attacking a band of aurors in broad daylight! They were holding off the Death Eaters with bands flashes of light.

Dumbledore rushed forward to help. Harry, meanwhile, took his serpent from his shoulders.

Then, a Death Eater noticed him.

He pointed and shouted at him, causing a few of the black figures that weren't in direct combat look over to him. Harry had to throw up a quick shield, envisioning his occlumency barriers as well. Five Death Eaters advanced on him, casting curse after curse at his weakening shield.

Thankfully, he wasn't called the best Defence Against the Dark Arts student for nothing. He managed to reinforce his shield while casting a few spells at his opponents, disarming one, and casting a well-aimed cutting curse at another.

Nagini had managed to slither away, out of sight, until she appeared out of the grass in the middle of two of the robed figures. She struck one of them in the leg, causing blood to go everywhere. The other two Death Eaters turned their attention away from Harry, and started to frantically cast spells and curses at her.

That turned out to be their fatal mistake. Nagini released her hold on the first man and lunged out to bite another Death Eater daring to try to harm her hatchling. Harry cast a _stupefy_ at the other, causing him to collapse where he stood.

Nagini unlocked her jaw from around the second man's throat. She grinned, baring her red teeth. "_Ugh… their blood tasssssted bad…"_ she muttered.

Harry chuckled. Only Nagini.

Then, he saw something from the corner of his eye. A flash of stark white in the shadows around the house. Harry's brows went down.

"_Wait here, Nagini,"_ Harry said slowly. She cocked her head to the side in confusion, but stayed put as Harry walked over to where he had seen it, wand still out.

He tiptoed slowly into the dark sideway. He pressed himself against the wall to make himself less noticeable as he inched forward. The darkness seemed almost oppressive, now that the sounds of the battle behind him were somewhat muted.

There was the sound of fabric _swish_ing, and he suddenly got pinned even closer to the wall. His vision swam before him, black dots appearing before his eyes. He blinked a few times, head spinning, before his vision cleared.

When it did, Harry wasn't sure he wanted to see anymore. There The Forsaken One was, in all this snake-faced glory, pinning him to the wall.

"Oh, Harry…" he whispered sinisterly. "I didn't expect _you_ to be here."

Harry didn't have time to call for help. Voldemort chuckled, and with a _crack_, they apparated away.(A/N: I was tempted to leave it here too… but I won't…)

He went through the tube sensation again. Somehow, it was worse than all those other times, and once they got to where they were going, Harry collapsed where he stood, not getting the chance to see his surroundings.

Apparently, that was Voldemort's idea, because once he was down, Harry heard a _stupefy_ cast, and everything went black.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

The entire wizarding world was in a frenzy.

Apparently, Harry Potter himself had gone missing in an attempt to protect Number 4 Privet Drive. Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry refused to comment to any press. "_Did he suspect a spy?"_ "_What will he do to retrieve the Boy- Who-Lived?" "Who?" "What?" "When?" "Why?"_ One would say that the questions were overwhelming, but the headmaster didn't seem fazed.

Rumour had it that the two adult muggles at Harry Potter's residence were killed in the battle, but the young muggle had survived. It also was said that Albus Dumbledore had taken in the muggle boy, giving him a living space in Hogwarts.

There have also been reports of a huge snake that has been fighting for the side of the light. Dumbledore still will not confirm these sightings.

HPHPHPHPHP

A while later, Harry didn't know exactly when, he came to. With a gasp, his mind came out from the recesses of his consciousness. He blinked once, then twice, not understanding what he was seeing.

Then, his brain decided to wake up. With a snap, he realized that he was bound, on a pole, in the middle of a room… with what seemed like dozens of Death Eaters sitting around him. Voldemort himself was sitting in a chair at the head of the group, Harry facing him.

"Ah, Harry! Nice for you to join the party!" Voldemort said, smiling evilly. It just barely registered in the back of his head that his scar was burning something terrible.

Harry frantically checked to see if his occlumency barriers were still up. _Thank Merlin_, he thought. _They're not down… or worse, dismantled._ The hissing and spitting snake was still coiling around his mind. He checked for his wand- no surprise, it wasn't there.

Harry's response to Voldemort's voice was to spit at the ground as close to his feet as possible.

Voldemort then tried looked like a disappointed father. "No, Harry. You know we can't have behavior like that!" Some of the robed figures around the room chuckled. Then, his whole demeanor changed. "Severus!" he barked harshly. "Spell a gag on him!"

Harry saw one of the black figures lift his wand and silently conjure a rag around his mouth. Then, he remembered that he was supposed to be angry and surprised that Se- no, Snape was a Death Eater.

He took a sharp breath and pulled on his bindings in a seemingly angry way, while cursing Snape out for being a Death Eater.

Voldemort got up out of his chair, seemingly pleased. "Tsk, tsk," he said. "What would your mother think, with language like that?"

Now Harry was truly angry. He cursed Voldemort to the deepest pits of hell, thrashing around in this bindings like a madman. The vile excuse for a human being that Harry was cursing so fluently advanced upon him.

Voldemort yanked Harry's head back from his hair, staring into his eyes. He defiantly glared back, feeling his presence prodding at his brand new occlumency barriers. Harry's eyes watered from the pain in his scar.

"You've been practicing," he said in a mocking tone. He narrowed his eyes, and he felt Voldemort's presence practically slam against Nagini, making his defences shudder. He made the snake coil tighter around him, sealing any spaces that were especially weak.

It was like an exhausting battle of wills. No matter how naturally good his shields were, Voldemort had experience. He was able to jump out of the way of the serpent's jaws and attack in a more vulnerable spot.

_Snake, snake, snake, snake snake, snake, snakesnakesnakesnakesnakesnake… _

It went like this for a couple more minutes, before Voldemort backed away from his mental barriers. He seemed to not have noticed his barriers growing weaker with every attack on his mind.

"You are better than I imagined, Potter," he growled. "But I will break you." Harry tried not to let his fear show as the Dark Lord turned to address the crowd around them. His eyes roamed around his followers as if he was looking for someone. "Ah, Bellatrix!" One of the stark white masks bobbed up and down.

"Yes, my Lord?" the figure that Harry presumed was Bellatrix Lestrange replied, giving a little giggle at the end of her question.

Voldemort strode over to her importantly. He stopped a few feet from where she was sitting, so that his robes flared out dramatically behind him. "_What,_" he asked, "do you think mister Potter here deserves?" he gestured behind him, fingers flaring out.

Harry swallowed through his gag, sweat dripping down his back. Bellatrix giggled again, saying, "Oh, my Lord, he deserves whatever you give him!" Harry could see her grin under her mask. It only covered the top of her face.

Harry just suppressed a snort of disgust at her words. All these people were puppets. Puppets bending over for their master's will. It was revolting, honestly.

He thought those thoughts to keep his mind off of what was probably going to happen to him. He had heard of terrible rumours about how Bellatrix Lestrange could torture someone to insanity… even _without_ the use of the cruciatus curse.

His eyes flicked over to the corner of the large, dark room, where there was a rack of… things that Harry couldn't quite make out.

Harry heard Voldemort chuckle. It sent chills down his spine, and he made a conscious effort not to shiver. Speaking of shivering, he glanced down to see his state of dress. Thankfully, he was dressed in a ratty shirt and trousers, reminiscent of Dudley's old clothes.

"Why, yes, Bella. He will get _exactly_ what I say he deserves," he hissed, in English, thankfully. Harry subconsciencly leaned backwards as Voldemort whipped back to face him. "Why don't you… entertain us?"

Bellatrix rose from her chair. "I would _love_ to, my Lord."

She whipped her wand out of her sleeve, kind of like how Sev- no, he had to remain nameless there. Harry gritted his teeth against the dirty rag restricting his voice. He braced himself for the curse that was going to come hurtling his way…

Bellatrix glanced over to the Dark Lord one last time, as if asking for permission, and Voldemort gave an almost imperceptible nod. Grinning maniacally, she levelled her wand at his chest, and screamed, "_Cruicio!"_

Pain that Harry had only felt twice in his lifetime came crashing into his body. He ground his teeth together as it felt like his bones were being simultaneously crushed and his skin was on fire and his internal organs were exploding and his muscles were burning up in flames he could feel his sanity slipping he was thrashing around he didn't know his name anymore he couldn't keep his pain inside any long-

Harry screamed through his gag, muffling it. The curse was removed, and he slumped over in utter exhaustion. If this was what the rest of his life was going to be like, he'd put up a fight. He lifted his head from his chest, glaring at Voldemort as if he was saying, '_Is that all you've got?'_

Voldemort apparently got the message, because he looked furious. "Bellatrix! Remove the gag from his mouth. I want to _hear_ his agony!" he yelled.

Bellatrix looked frightened for a second. But, when she realized her master's anger wasn't directed at her, she slashed her wand, making the rag tied around Harry's mouth vanish, having it feel like he was being slapped across the face in the process. He bit his lip, keeping a cry of surprise inside.

"My Lord…" Bellatrix started. Her eyes rose slowly from Harry to Voldemort. "May I be a little more… creative… than just using the cruciatus curse?" she implored.

An evil gleam appeared in the Dark Lord's eyes. "Of course, Bellatrix. I might reward you for such a show of intuition, later."

Harry swallowed again, unable to keep from hyperventilating slightly. He wondered what insane torture was going to be forced on him. But, he refused to go down without a fight. He wouldn't scream again. He wouldn't. Right?

"_Accio_!" Harry flinched as Bellatrix pointed her wand at the rack of _things_ that he had seen earlier. As the rack came zooming into view, he got a look at the _things _that were on it. Sure enough, there were various wicked looking torture devices on it. She stopped the rack with a hand and a foot, then poking a practiced finger through the items.

"Hmmm…" she murmured. "Sharp or dull, cold or hot? Oh, the possibilities are endless!" she simpered. She seemed to make a decision, because Harry got a brief view of gleaming teeth as she plucked a short knife from the fray, waving it around.

Harry's eyes followed it's progression through the air. "Oh, ho, ho! You like this little toy, don't you?" she said, slipping behind him so he couldn't see her. Harry instinctively tensed up, the pole scratching against the wounds that were already on his back.

He automatically flinched when he felt the coldness of the knife press against his spine under his shirt. Bellatrix giggled, slipping from behind him back to where he could see her. "Oh, I would just like to see the fear and pain in your eyes, that's all."

Harry's eyes widened when she got closer to his face. She cast the famous sticking charm on the back of his head, making it immobile, removing his glasses. She rose the knife to his face, and pressed down under his right eye, on his cheekbone. She hummed as Harry felt a trickle of blood from that small spot on his cheek. "Pity, you were a handsome one," she murmured as she drew a line from the corner of his eye to under his tear ducts. He gritted his teeth and his nostrils flared as she repeated the action to the other side of his face. His fingers twitched and his legs shifted.

"Awww, is Hawwy-poo scared?" she cooed. Harry's eyes narrowed, and Bellatrix chirped an insane laugh. Her knife moved to his nose. She made two vertical slashes on both sides of it, and two more closer to the middle. She circled the blade, making a crescent between the two.

Harry bit the inside of his cheek raw. He wouldnotscreamhewouldnotscreamhewouldnot scream- Bellatrix cut him horizontally right below his eyebrow. He gasped in a breath of surprise, clenching his eyes closed. She pried his other eyebrow up, repeating the action. She made a small vertical mark at the end of the eyebrow, and then making a smaller horizontal line connected to the first one. She did the same to the other one.

Harry involuntarily moaned out loud in pure pain. Bellatrix, pleased, giggled again and resumed her 'artwork.' He could feel the warm blood dripping down his face, getting into his eyes. His blood was pounding in his ears. Harry was sure an artery or vein would pop from the strain he was putting on them.

She made slashing marks under the ones on his cheekbone, making it swirl at the end. She then connected them with two vertical lines.

By then, Harry was taking great, heaving gasps, biting his tongue raw every time he got cut. To his great dismay, he couldn't hold in his agony any longer. He choked out a ragged scream, and Bellatrix chirped in delight.

Obviously, that wasn't enough for the Dark Lord. He sat forward in his chair, fingers gripping the upholstery. "I want you to make him _beg for mercy_, Bellatrix," he growled.

"Your wish is my command, my Lord!" she tittered.

She lifted the knife back up to his face. She also took her wand, and pointed it at the sharp blade. Harry flinched as she murmured a spell, and the knife turned white-hot. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, breathing quickly as it came even closer to his head.

Then, pain exploded across his forehead- well, worse than the typical Voldemort-was-in- the-room pain. Harry then screamed. His cry of absolute anguish echoed around the large room as Bellatrix pressed the flat side of the unbearably hot knife over his scar.

She giggled again, seeing an approving Dark Lord. Harry opened his eyes, tears blurring his vision. "Harry, I haven't even _started_ yet!" she laughed in mock playfulness.

Bellatrix reheated the very tip of the blade, and she set to work 'drawing' on the rest of his face. His screams rang through the room, all pretences of giving a fight long forgotten. He seemed to choke on his own breath as he struggled to breathe. Blood didn't just drip from his face- it ran in streams, dripping onto his shirt and the floor as he was thrashing around in his bonds for dear life.

Eventually, she tired of using the sharp knife. She backed away from Harry, looking at his face. She considered the knife again, before discarding it back on the rack. The dreaded rack. She quickly picked up something that looked like… looked like… Harry's vision suddenly cleared.

A saw.

The maniac was going to use a saw.

On him.

Who knew where.

Harry yanked and pulled on his bonds with a new vigor he didn't know he still had in him. Laughs echoed around the room, making Harry remember that he had an audience. He slowly settled down, his whole face throbbing in time with his rapid heartbeat. Man, that stung! _Understatement of the year,_ he thought.

Bellatrix advanced on him. She somehow _lifted_ the pole from the ground, and laid Harry down. The thump of his head on the ground seemed to say to him, _duh, magic._

Harry attempted to shrink down into the ground in a vain attempt at vanishing from sight.

"Awww, I think ickle-Hawwy _is_ scared!" Bellatrix said as she knelt down at his feet. His bare feet. She hefted the saw in the air, and all of the Death Eaters, plus Voldemort, seemed to hold in a collective breath as she brought the gleaming piece of metal down to his foot.

Time seemed to stop as she rested the serrated edge on his little toe. Harry tried to pull his foot away, but Bellatrix shot another sticking charm at his feet, attaching them to the pole. He clenched his jaw and took in many deep breaths before she began to move the saw.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Harry bit his tongue so hard that blood rushed into his mouth. He gurgled out an extremely constricted shriek that lasted for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few seconds.

Then she hit bone.

Pain Harry was unfamiliar to erupted from his right foot. His back arched and he _screamed_ and _screamed_ until he had no room in his lungs for air anymore. _She was cutting his toe straight off._ Harry should have known that was going to happen as soon as she laid the blade on his foot, but it was almost like denial that had kept him in the dark.

Harry retched as the pain got too much to handle. Of course, he didn't vomit anything, he had only had a piece of toast that morning.

The last of it was the most sickening. You'd think that once you got past the bone, it wouldn't be so bad, but that theory was disproved by one Harry Potter. He could still feel the strip of skin attaching his toe to his foot be sawed through, and that was the last thing he felt before crashing into unconsciousness.

His ears were ringing.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Draco Malfoy was laying in bed, wide awake. Earlier that night, he had overheard his father bragging to his fellow colleagues that they had captured Harry Potter, and they were keeping him inside Malfoy Manor. It was the first time they were keeping a prisoner inside their house, ever since the Dark Lord's return.

At first, Draco was ecstatic. Finally, Potter would get what was coming for him! At about eight o'clock, he had retreated to his room, planning to get a good night's sleep. He had burrowed under his blankets, drifting off.

Thirty minutes later, he heard the first shriek. It was masculine, and it snapped Draco wide awake. Wait, were they torturing him? Now?! It sounded like he was in the dining room. That room was close to the bedrooms…

He then heard the Dark Lord bellow. "Bellatrix! Remove his gag… to _hear_ his agony!" Draco swallowed.

It was quiet for a couple of minutes. He looked at his magical clock, and it read 8:45. Maybe they were done making Potter scream. He sighed and shifted around in his bed.

He wished in vain. He heard a loud, pain-filled groan. A few seconds later, Draco was listening closely when he heard the second scream of the night. He flinched backwards, twisting his bedsheets in his fist.

A few tense seconds later, Potter screamed again. This was the worst one of the night. What were they _doing_ to him?! He shivered under all of his blankets. This chilled him absolutely to the bone. He yelled until it seemed like there was no room left in his lungs.

It was quiet for another second. Then, he heard more anguished, raw, throat-rending screams, echoing through the entire left wing of the house. He wouldn't be surprised if even Mother heard Potter.

Draco bit back a sob as he heard Potter seem to choke on his own breath. Not that he cared… he was just unsettled by the sounds.

Suddenly, the cries stopped. About a minute passed before he heard the noises resume. But… this time… it seemed like… he had something liquid in his mouth as he screamed… blood! Did he bite his tongue? Was he internally bleeding? He didn't care, though. _Keep telling yourself that, Draco._ He knew, deep, deep down, that he didn't have what it took to be a Death Eater.

As a child, Draco had been known to faint at the sight of even the slightest amount of blood. That was why he had reacted so poorly to the hippogriff slash to his arm. He knew that he probably shouldn't have provoked the animal, but it wasn't like he'd ever tell anyone that.

Potter's screams grew even more desperate, if that was even possible. Draco ground his teeth to stop another whimper from escaping his lips.

Suddenly, he heard a gagging sound, and gasps that sounded like it hurt to draw them in. Draco shuddered. This was all too horrifying… he couldn't take it! Then, everything fell silent. It was an ominous silence, that seemed to permeate everything. Draco prayed to every deity he knew of that Potter was just unconscious, and not… worse. He didn't know why, but it just seemed so _wrong_ that someone… someone that he _knew_, practically _fought_ with on a daily basis at school, to be brought down to such a level.

He heard more general commotion downstairs, chairs being pushed back and the _crack_s of apparition outside. It seemed like the meeting was over… his father would be checking on him in just a moment, like he always did after he came back from his various exploits with his colleagues.

However cold they seemed on the outside, they had a secret that they kept just as closely as the fact that they were hosting Death Eaters. Well, perhaps even better, because it seemed like everyone suspected that was what Lucius Malfoy did in his free time.

The secret was this: contrary to popular belief, the Malfoys actually were quite affectionate to each other when out of the public eye. (A/N: I know that this is very, very mushy, but I don't care)

Draco shifted in his blankets, smoothing them out to make it look like he was sleeping peacefully, and had been since eight.

Seconds later, he heard the sound of heels clicking on the hardwood. It stopped next to his closed door, and his father cracked the door open. His head peeked in, curtain of platinum blond hair falling down his shoulders.

He opened the door the rest of the way. He stepped into the room, letting out a sigh that sounded like it had been kept inside all day. "Draco, I know you're awake," he murmured.

Draco sighed and rolled over to face his father. Sometimes, he knew him too well. "Yes, father?" he asked.

His father sat down on his bed, Draco making room for him by moving his feet. "I also know that you heard everything outside." He had a stony mask on.

Draco turned his head downwards. "Erm… maybe I did…?" he stammered nervously. Was he not supposed to listen in?

Lucius sighed again, mask dropping. "That must have been difficult to listen to."

Draco thought it would be safe to ask him a question. "Not that I'm concerned about his general health or anything…"

"Don't pause, it is unbefitting for a Malfoy," his father rebuked softly. Draco nodded.

"What were they doing to Potter?" he rushed out.

Lucius hummed. "How did you know that it was… never mind. Well, they set Aunt Bellatrix on him."

Draco cringed. "Oh, how many _crucio_s?"

His father looked to the ceiling, eyes slightly glassy. "Only one," he answered.

Draco was confused. "Then… why was he screaming?" Maybe things weren't as bad as they had seemed.

"You don't want to know, Draco."

Now he was truly worried. "Yes, I do! What happened?" he prodded.

The way his father scowled made it seem like Draco had gone too far. Then it relaxed. "Just don't come to me if you have nightmares, all right?" he sighed. Draco nodded, eager to hear the rest of the story. "Bellatrix cast a _crucio_ at him, and that was the first scream. He had actually held out for a long time," he said, sounding impressed. "Then, she decided to use more… creative procedures, if you wish."

Then in hit Draco. She… she had been using muggle torture methods!

"Are you sure you want to hear the rest?" he asked upon seeing his son's face blanch. Draco nodded, and Lucius continued. "Bella took a sharp knife… and carved out designs on his face," he choked out. "But, to our great surprise, he did not cry out."

Ahh, that must have been that time of silence in between the two first screams. "Then what happened?" he rasped.

"She heated up the knife, and pressed it on his forehead, over his scar." Draco shivered. "She then resumed her artwork, with the hot blade." He pursed his lips, wondering if he should go further and tell him about Potter's missing limb.

"Then what happened? The worst screams," Draco prompted.

It seemed like his father drifted off, his eyes becoming more distant. "They… she cut…" Then it looked like Lucius regained a semblance of reality. His back straightened, and he said, "She sawed his right pinkie toe off."

Of all things in the world, he had not expected this. He felt sick. He couldn't believe that he had heard _that_ in process, of all things, and not just a cruciatis session. At least with the aftermath of that curse, you only had faint muscle spasming and nerve damage that could be easily healed. But using the methods that Bellatrix had that night… things might be harder to mend.

He cleared his throat, and tried to school his face into one of unconcern. "Father, what condition is he in now?" he asked.

Lucius looked unimpressed. "Draco, I know that you are worried about Potter." He looked gratified at his guilty and nervous expression. He leaned, after looking around, and whispered in his ear.

"I think… it may be time to reconsider our alliances."


	9. Redeemed Part One

Draco was stunned. Never before, would he have thought that those words would be uttered from his father's mouth. His sly, cunning, Slytherin-to-the-core father. He couldn't be sure if this was some kind of ruse to turn him in to the Dark Lord, or not.

Draco chose to be suspicious. "How can I believe you?" he asked, edging away.

Lucius actually looked pleased. "I'm glad to know that you are not going to be gullible. That is good." He glanced at the door. "Draco, I will allow you to see Potter, just to show you my sincerity."

However doubtful he was, he _was_ morbidly curious to see what condition he was in. Still looking suspicious, he nodded.

Lucius returned the gesture and stood up from the bed. He was still in his dark colored Death Eater robe. Draco followed him awkwardly, still in his pyjamas. "Where did they take him?" he whispered. He didn't know why he was using a low voice, it just seemed appropriate as they were about to go see someone recently tortured.

"He's in the dungeons," Lucius replied, voice low as well.

Draco had never liked the dungeons that much. It had always reminded him of the things that must have took place down there, back a long time ago.

They passed the dining room, which was back to normal. They walked down a long hallway, torches lighting up as they passed. They then started the descent down to the deepest part of Malfoy Manor. For some reason, maybe magic was involved, the lighting in the dungeons was _always_ a sickly blue-green.

Lucius turned a corner, and took out his wand. There was a cell door in front of them, and the elder Malfoy tapped the lock, whispering, "_Alohomora._" The door swung inwards, designed so that if the prisoner was trying to escape by standing next to the door, the idea was that he or she would get hit and smacked backwards.

They tiptoed into the room. It smelled awful… like blood. Draco wrinkled his nose, breathing through his mouth. It was darker in here, and in a corner at the back of the room, there Potter was, shackled to the wall, slumped over. Draco hoped he was just unconscious.

Lucius carefully walked over. He held his wand in a slightly shaky hand, kneeling down beside Potter. Draco heard him breathe out a tremulous sigh. He had never seen his father like this before.

"Are you sure you want to see the damage?" Lucius asked quietly, glancing back at Draco, who was still standing in the doorway.

Draco resolved himself. "Yes," he said firmly, walking forward. His father put a hand on the top of Potter's head, and pushed it up. Draco nearly gagged at the sight presented to him.

Potter's entire face was covered in angry, surprisingly symmetrical slash marks that were still bleeding. Well, some of them. The ones that had obviously been burnt onto his face had been cauterized at the moment of impact. The only spot on his face that wasn't criss-crossed with cuts was over his famous scar- but that area was severely burnt.

Slowly, and with much trepidation, he looked downwards. Past his bloodstained clothes, past his ragged form. His eyes focused on Potter's right foot. When he saw what was down there, he _did_ gag. He nearly lost his dinner in that moment.

The severed toe was cut off all the way, just like his father had told him. He could see the white bone peeking out of his foot… it was absolutely horrible how it was still trickling a small amount of blood.

"Father… is there any way we can help him?" Draco asked, voice hoarse once more.

His father looked closer at his foot. "I think the only thing we could do is try to disinfect things. We can't do any more, since that would cause suspicion amongst the ranks of my Lord's followers."

Draco nodded in understanding. "That makes sense." He averted his eyes from the scene in front of him. He found it _very_ unnerving that his school-yard rival, the one he could rely on almost always being constantly strong against his barbs, was laying there, helpless. Wounded, seriously.

Lucius muttered a few spells Draco couldn't catch. It looked like nothing had happened, but his father looked satisfied.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I cast a minor pain-relieving spell on him, along with a disinfectant charm that should last for about 24 hours. A disinfectant potion would be more effective, but the only person I know who can make them is Professor Snape, and we both know where his loyalties lie," Lucius replied darkly. Both of them knew- _or thought they knew_\- that Severus Snape was completely loyal to the Dark Lord.

They stood there, watching the tenuous rise and fall of Potter's chest for a few seconds. Lucius abruptly said, "Come, Draco. Let's get back to bed."

And, with one backward glance, they left the dungeons and parted ways to their respective bedrooms. Neither expected a good night's sleep.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus Snape was frantically pacing the headmaster's office. He had just gotten from the latest Death Eater meeting, and he hadn't had time to explain exactly _what_ had transpired in that gathering in particular.

"What are we going to _do_, Albus?!" Remus Lupin said desperately, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, face in hands. He had been notified immediately of Harry's disappearance the moment it happened. Well, the moment they found out it happened. Remus himself was at the battle when _it_ transpired.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

_Remus was dispatching a masked Death Eater with a well aimed cutting jinx. He stumbled backwards, clutching his injured shoulder. His mouth was twisted into a snarl, and Remus wondered who he was dueling for a split second._

_That train of thought skidded to a stop when the Death Eater raised his wand, about to cast a counterattack. Just as Remus was about to throw up a shield, the black clad man hesitated. He then gripped his left arm, very nearly dropping his wand._

_Remus didn't have time to react as the man disapparated on the spot. The dark figures all around the lawn were all disappearing, seemingly without cause. Everyone around looked extremely bewildered._

_What had happened?_

_Where and why did everyone suddenly retreat?_

_Those were questions he couldn't answer at that moment._

_The next few minutes were filled with extreme panic and confusion as they found the bodies of Petunia and Vernon Dursley at the foot of the staircase. Dudley Dursley was a gibbering mess by the time they had gotten to him, shell shocked over the loss of both of his parents in one fell swoop. A mass obliviate had to be organized for all of the muggle bystanders that happened to see the mini-battle in progress._

_They found the Dark Lord's snake frantically hissing and slithering around the side of the house. They were about to do a calculated attack on her, but Dumbledore intervened just in time to tell them that she was on their side. She was in such a mess that they had to put her in magical bindings to keep her from lashing out at anyone who came too close._

_Then, Dumbledore had noticed the absence of one Harry Potter. A mass search was underway in no more than five minutes. No one could find him- no apparition traces, or anything. The headmaster had gotten yelled at by over ten people at once, all wondering where his sanity had went for vacation. Why on earth did he bring Harry to the battle?_

_Snape still refuses to admit that he had also been screaming at Dumbledore._

_It seemed like the beginning of the end._

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus saw Lupin's head rise out of his hands. "Was there any information you gathered on this all-day-long meeting of yours?" he asked, sounding irritated.

All bedside mannerisms that Severus had been preparing to break the news to both men vanished in that instant. "Oh yes," he drawled. "It was _very_ informative," he ended in a snarl, slamming his fists into the headmaster's desk in a rare moment of uncontrollable rage. In that moment, he looked truly terrifying. His hair curtained over his eyes, making them seem encompassed in glittering black.

Dumbledore looked slightly frightened. Not of Severus, but of what such a reaction implied. "Did they have him, Severus?" he whispered.

All of the professor's anger seemed to drain out of him. "Yes," he said hoarsely.

"How many _crucio_s?" he asked, unaware that he was echoing Draco's question from before.

Severus stumbled over to his chair, not meeting anyone's eyes. "He… only suffered one, but Bellatrix Lestrange used various muggle torture methods on him."

The headmaster paled even further and Lupin moaned in anguish.

"What happened to him?" Remus asked, voice slightly choked. He shivered, imagining the pain Harry went through.

Severus shifted in his seat, staring at one of the spinning objects that was hovering close to the ceiling. "Bellatrix took a knife and carved designs into his face. She burnt his forehead severely, and she cut off his right pinkie toe," he said in monotone, almost as if he was reciting a script.

Lupin let out a sob, covering his mouth. "All that in one afternoon?"

Severus nodded. "At the end, unconsciousness finally had mercy on him."

Lupin looked lost. "Albus, we have to rescue him!" he exclaimed, standing up. "I _won't_ have my cub go through any more pain and torture thanks to _your_ judgemental errors! And you!" he turned to look at the potions professor. "I understand that you don't have custody of Harry, but you were _supposed_ to keep an eye on him!"

Severus didn't comment. Lupin was just going through a phase of anger. It was understandable, although he couldn't have done anything for Harry while he had been summoned. For Salazar's sake, he didn't even _know_ that the headmaster had allowed the boy to fight!

He just levelled a blank stare in his direction, and Lupin seemed to deflate, collapsing back onto his chair. "What will we _do_?" the werewolf despaired, fingernails clawing at his bare arms.

The headmaster looked even more guilty than he did when it had been revealed that Harry had been abused at his home. Remus didn't know about _that_ certain turn of events, but he accepted the fact that Harry had to stay in the safest location possible- Hogwarts.

Severus spoke up. "I will most likely blow my cover, but I will attempt to rescue Har- Potter at the next meeting," he said, hoping that no one noticed the slip of his tongue. Lupin was too deep in distress that it had escaped his attention, but the headmaster had obviously caught on to it if the slight incline of his head said anything.

Dumbledore sighed and folded his hands on his desk. "Yes, it seems like you will have to," he said, defeated. "What will we tell the Order?"

"We'll tell them the truth." The Order of the Phoenix had been imploring about Harry's whereabouts ever since he had vanished. If Severus didn't know any better, he would have thought that Albus Dumbledore had been in Slytherin with the amount of scheming he got up to.

Severus quickly grew tired of the tense silence. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go console a hysterical snake, and wait for the Dark Lord's next call." Without waiting for permission, he left the room, closing the door behind him with a strangely finalizing _thud_.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry snapped awake, coming to a slight level of awareness. His face hurt. His foot hurt. Everything hurt. His foggy brain cleared up slightly, and he remembered that he hadn't felt this pain-filled in a while.

A sudden, simultaneous twitch of his right arm and left leg snapped him fully awake. Woah. As the memories from the night before came rushing back, he felt faintly sick. He didn't have the courage to look at his missing toe quite yet, but he raised a shaking hand to his head.

He traced out all of the dry, crusted, dirty lines all over his face. He absentmindedly wondered why they didn't hurt more than they did. He pondered if Snape had been at the meeting.

He raised his eyes to the ceiling, before holding his breath and firmly looking down. His breath whooshed out at the sight presented to him.

Like the younger Malfoy had seen the night before, it was crusted over with brownish black blood, and white bone was peeking out of the mangled tissue. He blinked, almost not taking in the damage. It was as if he were looking at someone else's foot, someone else's problem, and not his own.

He then noticed that he was thirsty. _Really_ thirsty.

Almost as if on cue, the door banged open, and a small figure levitated a bowl of thin soup and a glass of water towards him. A house elf. It was dressed in ratty clothes, and it seemed as badly treated as Dobby had been when he was in the Malfoy's service. Malfoys! He bet that's where he was. Malfoy Manor!

The bowl and cup settled down in front of him. The small figure, strangely silent, retreated from the room. Harry's first instinct was to grab at the food. Even in the Dursleys' care, he got fed every once in a while.

But then, suspicion overrode hunger. _What if this food was poisoned, or drugged?_ he asked himself, still behind the snake barriers in his mind. To Harry's great relief, they were still strong. He didn't know if occlumency shields were naturally this impervious. They probably weren't.

He refocused on the food situation. What was he going to do? Should he risk it, and give in to one of his most primal instincts, or should he be cautious and not ingest it?

Eventually, Harry's stomach directed his hands. It rumbled at the sight of the food, and he sighed, picking up the glass of water. He held it to his lips, thinking, _What's the worst that could happen? I mean, it's not like the Malfoys would try to _kill _me. That's Voldemort's job!_

He drank the water, soothing his parched throat. Well, at least he knew he could survive three more days, at most. _If The Forsaken One doesn't kill you first,_ his mind told him. _Shut up,_ he replied to his head. He absently wondered if he was going insane from the throbbing pain that was coming from his face and toe. It seemed to be getting worse.

He groaned and shifted his right foot under his left leg, in a vain attempt to stifle the growing, bone-deep ache. Suddenly, a stabbing pain shot through his whole body, making his hand scrape the bowl across the floor. He swallowed, re-noticing the thin soup on the floor.

Harry picked the spoon up in a shaking hand. He took a swallow of the soup, noticing the pain diminished somewhat when he swallowed. Confused, he took another spoonful. His face twisted in an expression of bewilderment when his agony reduced even further. His cheeks, nose, and forehead protested at the movement, twinging only slightly.

The injuries didn't seem to be getting any better, but they hurt less and less with each bite of the soup. He wondered why. Maybe they were preparing a special torture for him… who knew. _Give them the benefit of the doubt,_ his mind told him. But why?

Once again, who knew.

Once Harry was done with the broth, he felt full and pain-free for the first time since he woke up. He pushed the bowl and glass away from him. He abruptly felt very tired. He wondered why, considering that the only thing he had been doing was sitting and eating.

Harry couldn't find it in himself to care in that moment.

He closed his eyes, wondering if he'd ever open them again. (A/N: A little melodrama for yah!)

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Lucius Malfoy truly didn't know what to think about this dilemma. Up until the night before, he had felt like his loyalty to the Dark Lord was absolutely unwavering.

That was before the… extravagant… torture scene that he had been forced to watch.

Usually, there were (quite) a few cruciatus curses thrown at a person until they either died of shock or went insane. It wasn't any easier to watch, but at least he couldn't see any external or internal damage. It was… different… watching Potter being tortured like that. It had made him feel ill, to be honest. Honesty was not a trait particularly associated with Lucius, but in that case, it felt appropriate.

After the torture, and making sure there were no little eavesdroppers anywhere, he went to Draco, and showed him Potter to gain his trust.

One question, spoken so quietly, but so truthfully, still haunted him. "_Father… is there any way we can help him?_"

He had mulled over that question almost all night, so much that Narcissa had asked what in Salazar's name was wrong with him. He just shook his head, and his wife fell silent.

He was also very worried about his Draco. The Dark Lord had pulled Lucius aside earlier in the summer, with a 'task' for his son. He was to kill… murder… the most powerful wizard of that day and age. Albus Dumbledore.

When morning came, he came to a conclusion about what he was going to do. He would send down a house elf with water and broth down to the dungeons, for food. He had asked Severus for a pain-relieving potion to be taken by the mouth a while ago, and it had been delivered. He also put in a sleeping draught in as well, so he didn't have to spend his day toiling away with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company.

It was now six in the afternoon. Lucius had spent his day in the Ministry of Magic, whispering in Cornelius Fudge's ear. It was one of his favorite things to do- it made him feel even more powerful than he already was. Even if his loyalty with the Dark Lord was wavering, he wasn't an idiot. If the Ministry suddenly started an Anti-Dark Lord movement, Lucius was going to feel the brunt of his Master's rage. Even if Potter was there to torture, he would be punished. And… questioned. By a certain Lestrange.

Lucius was in his lounge, staring into the fireplace. A cold front had blown up, making it colder, even in the summertime. He swirled some of the finest alcohol in his crystal glass, closing his eyes. The Dark Lord had been calling his followers to his side most every night. Maybe, since he was out of secrecy, now that the entirety of the wizarding world knew that he was back, he had been reinforcing that knowledge with as many attacks as possible.

Then, unexpectedly, his Mark started burning. He grabbed it, gasping. The symbol of his fidelity. Even if he did manage to get out of the Dark Lord's cold grasp, he'd have this scar on his arm for the rest of his life. He didn't know why he was calling them this time, but he had a good idea.

Instead of rushing outside in his Death Eater robes, Lucius took a deep breath and shed his outer clothes. Underneath, were the dark folds of his ceremonial garb. He slid his mask on, and pulled up his hood. It was time to see if his hunch had been right.

He slowly walked into the dining room, and sure enough, the Dark Lord himself was there- but without his snake. The last few meetings had been different without the terrifying serpent slithering amongst them. He honestly thought it was an improvement. He faintly wondered what had happened to the gigantic monstrosity while he threw himself at his Lord's feet.

A few long, tense seconds passed before the Dark Lord said, "Rise, Lucius." The man deliberately stood, head bowed. He had been trained well. He remembered when he had been a brash youth, getting to the point of almost challenging the Dark Lord. He had believed he was invincible, but a few _crucios_ taught him differently.

He didn't meet his Master's eyes, but the hurricane of his occlumency shields were strengthened as possible. Severus had taught him well. To be able to occlude was a much needed skill in the process of subterfuge in the Ministry of Magic.

"Clear out the dining room. We will be having some more fun tonight, and you will not just be a spectator," the Dark Lord said. Lucius nodded, and backed away to wave his wand silently. The table vanished, but the chairs remained. He arranged them into a large circle simultaneously.

Many robed figures were now walking into the room, going to bow at their Master's feet. As he was dismissing Avery Nott, he took note of Lucius' silence. "Lucius," he said, voice ringing through the room. Surprisingly, it didn't echo. Every head either turned to him or the Dark Lord. "Are you not excited to be able to participate in the festivities tonight?" he asked, looking very dangerous at that point in time.

"My Lord, I am ecstatic to do whatever you want me to," Lucius answered. In truth, he was dreading the experience. Agitated seas whipped up into even more of a frenzy.

For once, the Dark Lord seemed to take that as a satisfactory answer. He turned to another masked person. "Severus. I wish for you to assist Lucius in what we will be doing." It was uncanny how he could tell who was under a mask in any given time. "Bellatrix," he commanded at a slightly shorter figure. "I wish for you to fetch Potter. You may be as… careless as you want in regards to his welfare, but I want him alive. Do not kill him. That is my desire," he finished in a chilling growl.

The figure's head bobbed, and it made its way out of the room, almost in a run. Lucius had no doubt that she was excited to 'see to' Potter. It was disgusting, really.

Everything was just about to settle down just as Bella returned with the boy. _Young man,_ his mind supplied. Wait. Where had that come from? (A/N: If you haven't guessed already, I am the inner conscience.)

He was still asleep, knocked out with that sleeping draught. Well, he was about to get a _very_ rude awakening, if the Dark Lord had anything to say about it.

Bellatrix deposited the load she had been dragging up the stairs and through the hallway. She had made sure to pull him by his right foot, no less.

Potter was immediately tied up in a chair, unlike the pole from last time. The bad part was, when they woke him up, he'd feel all of the pain he had experienced before. Well, and the headache he'd have thanks to Bella dragging him up a staircase by his feet.

Bellatrix levelled her wand at Potter, planning to cast a spell. "Stop, Bellatrix," the Dark Lord commanded. Confused, she lowered her arm. "You presume too much. If you were anyone else, I would have to punish you, but you were doing your job."

The insane woman grinned. "When will I be having fun with him?" she inquired.

The Dark Lord frowned. "You will not be having 'fun' with him tonight." Bella looked crestfallen. "However," he said, "you will be able to, another time." She perked right up at that statement. _Wait._ If Bellatrix wasn't going to do it, then who wou-

A command from earlier came to mind. "_We will be having some more fun tonight, and you will not just be a spectator,"_ the Dark Lord's voice rang in his head. "_Severus. I wish for you to assist Lucius in what we will be doing."_

Oh, no.

Lucius didn't want to do _that_. And with _Severus_… well. At least he knew that one person would be thoroughly enjoying this.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Little did he know that Severus was thinking the exact same thing, just reversed.

_Lucius will be pleased to be able to have the honor of torturing the Boy Who Lived,_ he thought. _But I hate betraying Harry's trust._ He considered the possibility of escape, but they couldn't, at least, not while there were so many of the Dark Lord's devoted followers around.

"Severus! Lucius! What are you doing, waiting? Come, give us a show!" Voldemort called impatiently. He rose from his chair, watching the other man stand too.

They slowly made their way to the middle of the room. They eyed each other, both feeling like they were walking a death march. They stopped simultaneously, on both sides of Harry's unconscious body.

Lucius' eyes suddenly hardened minutely. He raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and muttered, "_Enervate._"

Harry's eyes snapped open, and he took in a great gasp of breath. Severus couldn't help but notice how his lips didn't look too parched. How had he gotten water in the Malfoys' dungeons?

His trail of thought abruptly stopped when he saw Hary raise his head. He looked even worse than he did the day before, when the wounds were fresh. Trails of browned blood were crusted on his cheeks, forehead, and chin, and staining his clothes. Severus wasn't even looking at Potter's foot.

He groaned, and tried to lift his arms, but he was obviously restricted. He then seemed to take in his surroundings, becoming completely aware. Fear flashed in his eyes before it was strangely muted. _Perhaps the occlumency,_ Severus thought.

The Dark Lord made a sound. Everyone turned to him, listening to what he had to say. "I rather enjoyed the moment when our dear Bella-" Lestrange preened- "cut off a limb. Those invoked the most _delicious_ screams out of him."

Severus had to suppress a shudder of revulsion. How sick could that man get? It was one thing to torture someone he had never met before… but to do this to someone who he had known since he had started school… it just seemed _wrong_. And, usually the victims didn't last more than a day.

Severus still had to keep his act up. "Manually or magically, my Lord?" He ignored the despaired look Harry sent him. Acts. That all they were.

He actually looked pensive for a moment. "Hmmm…" the Dark Lord hummed. "Do both. Lucius, do something magically, and Severus, you can borrow one of Lestrange's toys." If his eyes weren't failing him, it seemed like Lucius looked disgusted for a second. Then, the look vanished as soon as it came. _Occlumency and its many uses._ Who knew. Maybe Lucius wasn't as loyal as he seemed.

That theory died when the man in question lifted his wand and aimed it at Harry's left hand. Harry tried to curl his fingers in reflexively, but Lucius pried his fist open. "_Diffindo,_" he murmured harshly.

A shower of blood met the incantation. A ragged cry erupted from Harry's throat. He moaned in absolute anguish, not even trying to mask his pain anymore. It seemed like the will had been seeped out of him, dripping in red rivulets onto the ground. The Dark Lord chuckled in pleasure. Severus had to block out his emotions. He knew that his feelings would all come rushing out later like they always did, but it was nothing a little _reparo_ couldn't fix.

"Your turn, Severus," Lucius said darkly.

Severus straightened his back. He pointed his wand to the corner of the room, where Bellatrix always kept her 'supplies.' No one had the courage to tell her not to, so they stayed there. "_Accio,_" he muttered.

A knife zoomed toward his outstretched hand. Not a saw, like what Bella had used, but a knife. It would be quicker, and less painful for the young man tied in the chair.

He cast a sharpening charm on it, the one that Molly Weasley used when- no. Even with his advanced occlumency skills, he couldn't risk even thinking about _that_, in particular. Not here.

He didn't look at Harry's betrayed eyes, too out of it to even register that he was showing emotion. It was still too risky to attempt an escape. They would almost certainly be shot down by spells varying from the tripping jinx to the killing curse.

Severus examined Harry's left hand. Lucius had only cut the pinkie finger completely off, leaving the others only slightly gouged by the cutting spell. Severus didn't want to cut off any more of his limbs. There was something he could do, but it would most likely be just as painful, if not worse. However, he _could_ heal it- with only a bit of scarring.

"My Lord," he spoke, looking up. The Dark Lord inclined his head, listening. "Would it be preferable if I used the same method that we utilized on the fourth of February?" Severus asked. He remembered the torture of that day as if it were the day before. It was… particularly horrendous. Bellatrix 'ooh'ed at the idea, apparently impressed at the suggestion.

His Master seemed to deliberate for a second. Somehow, the man remembered the date of every raid, and what happened- once again, unnatural. "Very well. I appreciate your ingenuity. You may do as you suggested."

He nodded, lifting the knife. He whispered a silent, desperate plea for forgiveness in his head as he lowered a practiced hand over Harry's right. The young man didn't even fight any longer. He took the hand in his left, separating the fingers and laying the edge of the knife on the tip of his pointer finger.

And he pulled down.

The skin came off like rolls of parchment, and Harry shrieked, life suddenly coming back into him. He sobbed in pain, clenching his eyes shut. Severus quickly sheared his finger of skin, ignoring the wretched screams of the person beside him. He methodically grabbed each struggling finger and did the same thing to all of them, thinking of them as a particularly difficult potions ingredient.

Then, he looked at the damage he had caused.

He had to hold back a condemning gag at the sight.

All that was left of Harry's right hand was muscle and bone. It was _terrible_ and Severus _had_ _caused it_\- he cut that trail of thought at the bud. Thoughts like that would only get him in trouble.

He suppressed his emotions like the occlumency master he was. He watched dispassionately as Har- no Potter, thrashed around in utter agony. He couldn't afford to have any emotional attachments at that point. It would make his job so much more painful.

He retook Potter's mangled limb. He deftly sliced through the skin on his lower arm, mind still distant from the situation at hand. He had cut the skin off of Potter's arm in a straight line from the top of his hand to his elbow. His nostrils flared, and he took a step back, glancing at the Dark Lord as he did so.

The snake-faced man was leaning forward in his ornate seat, grinning like the maniac he was. What a sadist.

His gaze returned to Lucius, who was raising his wand again. Only then did Severus choose to notice the pitiful whimpers that were coming from Harry- no, Potter's mouth. His traitorous heart lurched at Potter's condition.

Blood was freely dripping down his left hand, down his arm, which had somehow become untied in the torment. It had been pitching about as Severus had inflicted his damage. He didn't need to focus on his right arm, because he knew what lay there.

"_Inciendo,_" Lucius snarled, taking Severus out of his reverie. Potter's trousers had been set alight at the cuffs at the bottom. Severus saw the flames burning, detachedly. He heard Potter's shrieks, indifferently. Nothing could touch him when he got into this state. He usually regressed this much when the Death Eaters were doing something particularly horrendous. Like a mass… homicide… of a muggle population. Of course, he always refused to participate, but he was always, _always_ forced to watch.

The fire had reached his thighs, and Potter's cries died down into moans. Third degree burns always hurt worse, then less- not because they did less damage, but because the nerves had been completely obliterated.

Lucius flicked his wand, casting an "_Aguamenti,_" at his entire body. The flames were quenched immediately, but Potter seemed to be going into shock. His teeth were chattering, and he looked very pale. Too pale. He was probably losing his lifeblood at that point, his very being dripping out onto the freshly polished hardwood floor.

The Dark Lord seemed to notice this new development as well. "That is enough," he said. "It does not seem like we will be getting any more reactions from him tonight. Put him back in the dungeons." Severus wondered why he wasn't outright killing the young man. Maybe he was savoring the moment, or maybe- just maybe, he was too cowardly to finish the job. Severus wouldn't put it past him.

Lucius followed the Dark Lord's orders and started levitating the barely conscious Harry Potter into the dungeons. Severus resolved himself, deep within his occlumency lake. He would go get Harry… tonight.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

A few hours later, Severus was still inside Malfoy Manor. He had aparated away when everyone else had, but he had come back to fetch Harry. It didn't matter anymore if he called him 'Harry' or 'Potter' in his mind anymore, because if everything went right that night, he would be in Madam Pomfrey's care by morning. She had been called from her vacation in the continent because of the urgent care some of the Order needed. It wasn't as if they could go to St. Mungo's - there would be too many questions asked.

He was slinking along the edges of the wall, descending down into the dungeons. He greenish light refracted off of his pitch black robes. He was still in Death Eater garb - he hadn't had time to remove it before he had come back to attempt to rescue the Dark Lord's latest victim.

Severus held his wand out in front of him as he came across the first cell. "_Homenum revelio,_" he whispered. That spell was to detect any homo sapiens, AKA humans, in the vicinity. The range of the spell was limited to about 500 meters in each direction.

His wand vibrated, pointing him in a certain direction. It was moving more than it would if only one person were being detected. Severus frowned. Were the Malfoys tormenting him further? He hoped not, for Harry's and their sakes. So help him, if his cover was going to be blown, it would be blown with a bang.

He stalked forward, preparing to cast a _stupefy_ at the person, or persons, in the occupied cell. The door was already opened, and Severus halted at the sight presented to him.

Lucius was kneeling down beside Harry, and it seemed as if he was manually mopping up the blood from both of the young man's hands. He had apparently cast a cooling charm over his legs, numbing them from the burn and reducing the swelling.

Severus shrank back into the shadows as Lucius stood up. He cast a _scourgify_ at the entire room in general, and cast a disillusionment charm over Harry's unconscious body.

_What in Salazar's name is he doing?_ Severus wondered disbelievingly.

"_Wingardium Leviosa,_" Lucius muttered. He guessed that Harry was now floating in the air, levitating in front of the blond man.

Lucius looked to the right and to the left, as if looking for any bystanders. Of course, he saw no one. Severus wasn't called a good spy for no reason.

He tiptoed out of the cell, and Severus shrank into the shadows even further. _If I don't move, he won't see me._ He had learned that a while ago, back when the Dark Lord had been in full power. If he didn't give anyone anything to look at, then said person probably wouldn't notice him.

Sure enough, Lucius passed Severus without detecting the spy. Severus cast a wordless disillusionment charm over himself as well, following the man silently. He chose not to blast Lucius into smithereens just yet. He would see what in Merlin's _beard_ Lucius was doing with Harry.

He trailed behind the Death Eater into the living room. Lucius glanced around again, and lowered his previously raised wand down onto the couch. There was an invisible weight now pressing into the cushions, which Severus presumed to be Harry.

Lucius cast a _lumos_ in the dark room. Severus could see the beads of sweat forming on the man's brow- he was obviously stressed.

He huffed out a breath, tossing his wand down on a side table. It was still illuminated, casting the room in a ghostly light. His hand reached toward an exquisite bowl of _something_, but then he hesitated.

_What in Salazar's name?_ he repeated in his mind.

Lucius seemed to determine what his next actions would be. His hand dove into the bowl, pulling out a gray substance. _Floo powder! Who on earth was he going to contact at this time of night?_ Severus thought, bewildered. _Is he calling some comrades to torture Harry?_

He threw the powder down into the fireplace. Green flames leapt up, and he stuck his head into the hearth. Severus missed what place he had barked into the fire, but soon his head retracted. When you were contacting someone through floo, once you had gotten to the desired location, you could pull your head back and sit normally on the floor. Also, if there was a password needed to _get_ into a place, you didn't need one simply to _talk_ with anyone there.

The name that Lucius uttered shocked Severus to the core.

"Dumbledore…"


	10. Redeemed Part Two

Lucius looked at the old, wizened face in front of him.

"Dumbledore…" he whispered.

The head nodded. "Lucius?" His entire face was asking the prize question - Why on earth was Lucius Malfoy fire-calling Albus Dumbledore at eleven at night?

He took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I have Harry Potter in this room right now. I will offer him to you, on one condition." He may be defecting from the Dark Lord, but he was still a Slytherin at heart.

Dumbledore looked shocked. He then recomposed himself. "What do you wish for?" he asked.

Lucius curled his fingers on the ground. "Shelter," he said. "Protection from the Dark Lord. For myself and my family." It made his pride hurt to ask him for something like that.

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose in the embers. "That can be arranged."

Lucius wasn't surprised that it was that easy to deal with the old headmaster. He did have the Boy Who Lived in his custody, after all.

"I desire to make the transaction tonight, if that is possible." He hadn't planned any of this out - even Draco didn't know about Lucius' half-cooked, spontaneous escape plan, much less Narcissa. As far as she knew, he was still firm in the Dark Lord's service. She was obviously disapproving of his loyalty. She had never vocalized her dissension, but it was evident in the way she sent him a vaguely displeased look every time he was summoned.

He intended to change that, and soon.

Dumbledore was speaking again. "It is possible. What condition is he in at the moment?" he asked.

Lucius grimaced in a rare display of emotion. "He is not in good health at the time being. He has lost a lot of blood in the past few days. He might not survive abrupt travel like apparition."

He saw a faint glimmer of alarm in the headmaster's eyes. "Could you floo him over?"

Lucius considered that possibility. "Yes… it has considerably less compression than apparition… he could, perhaps, make that journey."

"Good," Dumbledore murmured.

"How will I get my family to safety?" Lucius asked. He still needed clarification on that point. If he openly defied the Dark Lord, he would be as helpless as a sitting duck against his forces.

Dumbledore looked at him very gravely. "You need to awaken your wife and son. I'm afraid that if you are going to give him back tonight, you need to leave as soon as possible. I will give you the password for my office once you are ready. But-" he said as Lucius was about to leave. "If you are planning a trick, I _will_ make you regret it." The old man looked at him, and he knew that he meant it. He truly looked like the man that had defeated Grindelwald.

Lucius acted immediately. He said that he would do what he had told him, and he stood up. He speed-walked (because Malfoys never ran _anywhere_) toward Draco's bedroom.

Once he got there, he hesitated at the door. _Should he go through with this?_ he second- guessed himself. Then he sighed. _Even if I backed out, at this point, it's too late._

He opened the door. His son's deep breathing greeted him. At least it seemed like Draco hadn't heard anything through the silencing charms he had set around the dining room.

He edged into the room silently. He placed his hands upon Draco's shoulders and shook them slightly.

Draco gasped, eyes snapping open. His eyes focused on his father, and the cloudy glaze that had covered them cleared. "Father?" he groaned, sitting up.

Lucius took in Draco's condition. He looked pale in the moonlight streaming from the window on the far side of the room, the rings under his eyes prominent in the soft lighting. "Come," he commanded. "Once you have gotten your most prized possessions, meet me in the living room with your mother."

Draco looked frightened for a second. Then he nodded, jumping out of bed and heading toward his dresser to pack.

Lucius, satisfied, left the room. He made his way across the house to his and Narcissa's bedroom. He pushed the door, tiptoeing into the room. If any of his political rivals had seen him at that point, they'd be laughing their behinds off.

The room was a rich green, a testament to their Slytherin heritage. There was a huge bed in the middle of the back wall, and dressers and closets lined the room. It was hard to believe that he'd be leaving behind all of this in a few minutes' time.

"Narcissa," Lucius whispered.

The lady woke up almost instantly. She had always been a light sleeper, waking up every time he had come back from a Death Eater meeting.

She sat up, eyeing her husband. "What is it, Lucius?" Yes, Narcissa was always a bet testy when she woke up.

Lucius sat on the bed. "Narcissa, I have decided that our lives need to change."

Her eyebrows rose at that statement. "What ever does that mean?" she asked.

He took a deep breath. "Recent events have led me to believe that following the Dark Lord… might not be the best idea."

Narcissa looked stunned. Then, she started laughing. Outright, guffawing laughs shook her whole frame. This was so unlike her that all Lucius could do was sit and stare.

She finally got control of herself a few moments later. "You… you want me to believe that -" she broke down into laughter again. Then, she muttered, "Yes, and the Devil will be ice skating, too!"

Lucius frowned, snapping out of his shock-induced stupor. "I'm serious. I have contacted Albus Dumbledore, and he has promised sanctuary from the Dark Lord. I have Ha - Potter in the lounge as we speak."

Narcissa calmed down suddenly. "You aren't joking, are you?" she said wondrously.

Lucius gave her a droll stare. "When have I ever joked?" he asked. She opened her mouth, no doubt preparing a witty comment to throw back at him, but Lucius cut her off. "We need to gather our valuables. We're leaving tonight."

HPHPHPHPHP

Narcissa nodded. "I was always hoping for the day you would finally come to your senses," she said smartly. She stood up, walking over to her closet. She pulled out a cloak that would preserve her modesty, and she pocketed her ornate black wand.

A few minutes later, she said that she was done. They had both cast shrinking charms over all of the things they were bringing. Lucius nodded, and they walked out of the door.

"Does Draco know?" Narcissa asked as they walked into the living room. The young man in question was sitting on the couch, looking very tense. "Ah, well, it looks like my question was answered."

Draco jumped, twisting around. "Mother!" he exclaimed quietly. He put his hand over his heart. "You scared me!"

Meanwhile, Lucius was staring at the spot, next to Draco, where he had lain Harry earlier. If Draco had known exactly who he was sitting next to…

He seemed to have read his mind. "Where's Potter?" he asked, looking around.

Lucius wondered how to break the news to him. "Erm, well… you seem to be sitting right next to him," he said with a chuckle.

Draco jumped violently for the second time that night. "He's right there? Where is he?" he yelped, whipping his head from side to side.

Lucius sighed. "Potter is under a disillusionment charm at the moment. He… is not in the best of states, at the moment. You would not want to see him."

Draco looked indignant. "But they didn't torture him tonight! He couldn't be any worse than he was last night!"

Lucius stared at his son, a blank look on his face. "Have you ever… studied the implications of a silencing charm?" he asked in monotone that even Severus could envy.

His face blanched in realization. "Oh," he said quietly. However, his eyes were the first to harden. "But, I still want to see him," he said firmly.

Lucius grasped for any straws he still had in his possession. "I doubt your mother wants to see -" he started.

"No, I would quite like to see," Narcissa interjected.

He felt like he was flailing around. He really didn't want to cause any nightmares, but since they insisted, he pointed his wand at the depression in the sofa, saying, "_Finite incantatem._"

The illusion seemed to melt off of Harry. The sight presented to them was quite disturbing. His neck was bent back almost at an unnatural position, not to mention the rivulets of dried blood all the way down his body. Even with his cooling charms, Harry's legs still looked _raw._ His right hand and forearm were still bleeding, stripped to the muscle, and to the bone in some places. His left hand twitched, bringing all eyes to the stump where his pinkie used to be. His foot wasn't visible, and it looked like his whole face was made of blood.

Lucius looked back up to his wife and son. Narcissa was holding both hands to her mouth, tears glimmering in her eyes. She could hardly stand to see someone get a parchment cut, much less _this. _Draco looked shocked and nauseated.

"He needs help, _right now_," he whispered. Lucius fully agreed.

"Yes. I need to fire-call Dumbledore again." He grabbed some more floo powder, his fingers scraping the bottom of the bowl. _I need to get some more -_ he started to think. Then, he remembered that he wouldn't be returning to the Manor for a long time - if everything went as expected.

He stuck his head inside the now green fire. "Dumbledore's office," he said into the flames. It felt like only his head was moving. He closed his eyes against the migraine-worthy flashing green lights.

Seconds later, he had arrived, and he pulled his head out. The headmaster had obviously been patiently waiting on the other side all the time that the Malfoys had been packing.

"Are you ready to send Harry through?" he asked.

"Are you ready to receive him?" Lucius shot back.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. When he is over, and as soon as I say so, call out, "Dumbledore's office, cauldron cakes."

Lucius stood back and raised his wand to levitate Harry. Then he stopped, realising that if he sent the young man in like that, he would probably be hurt even worse.

He resolved what he was going to do in his head. It might disgust Draco to do so, but it had to be done.

"Draco," Lucius said. He looked up to face his father. "I need you to go on to the other side with Potter. You did hear the password, right?" he asked.

Draco nodded. He wasn't as upset as Lucius thought he'd be. Perhaps he was growing up.

Lucius cast a feather-light charm on Harry, hoping that it wouldn't worsen his wounds. It didn't, thankfully, and he motioned for Draco to pick him up.

Draco gingerly gathered him into his arms, trying to ignore the fact that he was getting blood all over his clothes. He walked toward the fireplace, grabbed some of the rapidly depleting floo powder, and stepped in the hearth.

He threw it down, shouting, "Dumbledore's office, cauldron cakes!"

His son went up in a flurry of green flames.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Albus was doing his best to refrain from pacing around his office. Poppy was on call, standing in the middle of the room, facing the fireplace. It had been a few minutes since Lucius Malfoy had contacted him, and there was no sign of Harry. Severus hadn't come back from his meeting yet, and he was starting to get worried about both of his surrogate sons.

Suddenly, green fire sprang up in the fireplace. Poppy jumped, and Albus rushed forward. What he saw made him stop.

Draco Malfoy seemed to be shielding something from impact as he awkwardly got ejected onto the rug in front of the hearth. The boy sat up quickly, and Albus recognized the 'something' as a 'someone.'

Harry.

He was in bad, bad condition. Albus didn't get a good look at his injuries, but it seemed like he was more bleeding than not. Poppy gasped and immediately took Harry from Draco. She ran out of the office, presumably to go to the infirmary.

Albus then took note of the person that had came through with Harry. Draco was still sitting on the rug, looking a bit shell-shocked.

"Are you okay, my boy?" he asked.

Draco jumped. He seemed to come back to reality, just a bit. "I'm fine, sir," he replied. He stood up, and noticed the copious amount of blood on his white shirt and trousers. He grimaced, and Albus used his extremely advanced occlumency skills to tell what he was thinking.

_\- do hope he's okay,_ Albus heard. He guessed that to be the youngest Malfoy to be thinking about Harry. Albus always did think the best about people, after all.

More viridescent fire sprang up from the fireplace. Albus watched as a disheveled -looking Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy stepped out of the hearth. It was an interesting sight, seeing the always impeccable Malfoys in this state.

Narcissa immediately went forward to embrace her son. She murmured something in his ear, and he nodded. "I'm okay, mother," he said.

That seemed to be enough verification for her, and she let go of him. She frowned at the blood staining both of their shirts, and turned to face Albus. "Where is Harry?" she asked sharply.

Albus was surprised at the usage of Harry's first name, but he didn't show it on his face. "He is being tended to in the infirmary, at the moment."

"May we see him?" Lucius asked, in a rare bout of genuine politeness. Where were the actual Malfoys, and who were these people? He couldn't help but wonder if this were some elaborate plot to attack the Order at its heart.

Albus chose to give them the benefit of the doubt. "Of course. Follow me," he answered. He walked out of his office, hearing the entire Malfoy family follow after him. They silently walked down the stairs. Albus's hand was on his wand the entire time. He may be willing to trust them to a certain extent, but even he had limits.

Not a word had been exchanged between the four people going to the infirmary. Eventually, they approached the doors for the hospital wing. Albus opened one of the doors for the Malfoys, and they passed him, into the room in single file.

One part of the room was curtained off, and he guessed that was where Harry was being tended to. They all sped toward the screen.

Suddenly, Severus emerged from the blinds. Every Malfoy then proceeded to draw their wands and point it at him. Albus saw his left hand twitch towards his wand, but he seemed to regain control of the limb.

"Dumbledore," Lucius muttered by the side of his mouth. "Severus isn't what he seems."

Albus sent a discreet, questioning look at the potions professor. He gave an almost imperceptible nod, and Albus wondered how he would break the news to the Malfoys. If Severus thought it was okay to tell them about his 'second profession,' so did he.

Albus took a deep breath. "I know that he is the Dark Lord's potions master. I know that he is trusted in the inner circle."

He watched as realisation dawned in Lucius' eyes. "He never was loyal… was he?" he said, faintly. Narcissa and Draco lowered their wands in utter shock.

Albus closed his eyes. "It is not my place to inform you of that."

Lucius digressed. "Very well. Now, may we see Potter?" he said, rather testily.

"Yes, I am quite intrigued." _What type of damage have I inflicted on poor Harry?_ he thought to himself.

Severus nodded and pulled back the curtains.

What Albus saw made him mentally kick himself where it hurts. "Oh, _Harry_," he couldn't help but groan.

All of the blood had been vanished away from his skin, and he had been changed into hospital garb, but that didn't help his appearance any. He had angry red lines - no. There were sick swirly _designs_ all over the boy's face. Both of his legs were entirely bandaged, and one hand and an entire arm had been wrapped up in gauze. He was even more gaunt and pale than when he had come to Hogwarts from the Dursleys'. There was a huge bandage over his scar. He had obviously lost his glasses, because they were nowhere to be seen.

Albus sat down heavily on a chair next to the bed. Severus' outraged words rang in his ears again. "_You take Harry in for _one day_, and he gets captured the next?! Imbecil!"_ He had never known words to be so true. His own arrogance and feelings of invincibility had _caused_ this.

He put his head in his hands. He hadn't felt so _defeated_ in a while. He breathed out, and Poppy bustled into the room, papers in hand.

"I have his medical report," she announced, still looking at the papers. "And, to be honest, this is even worse than some of Severus'-" she broke off when she noticed the Malfoys standing next to the bed.

Albus raised his head out of his hands. "They know, Poppy," he sighed. His face plopped right back onto his palms.

She seemed to be a bit taken aback. "Well, then. If any of you want to look at his medical report, here it is." She set them down on the wheeled nightstand next to the bed. She then rushed off, seeming to have other important things to do.

HPHPHPHPHP

Albus garnered enough energy to look at the report. One of his many failures. His fingers shook as he picked up the parchment.

His eyes scanned the paper, his vision growing blurrier with tears every second. _Long-term malnourishment. Severe bruises on back, legs, and torso. Minor lacerations on back, legs, and torso. Minor infection on back, legs, and torso. Minor cruciatus-induced nerve damage. Deep lacerations on face. Third degree burn on the forehead. Amputated right pinkie toe. Amputated left pinkie finger. Skin entirely removed on right hand and forearm. Third degree burns on both legs. Severely damaged vocal chords._ That list didn't even count the mental damage Harry had suffered.

Albus let the report drop from his fingers as he cried for the first time in five years.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus was startled when he realized that the headmaster was sobbing. In all honesty, he had never seen him break down like that. He wondered what he should do. Draco had picked up the report from the floor under Dumbledore, and was now reading it, with almost the same reaction as the older man.

Then, he had another epiphany. The snake! She had been in a constant state of worry for the last two days, and she would probably bite him if she knew Harry was in the building, and he didn't tell her.

"I will be back," he said. He speed-walked from the room, but after he shut the door, he broke out into a run. He reached the dungeons in a matter of minutes, and he was slightly huffing. Despite appearances, he was actually quite in shape.

He got to the portrait of Salazar Slytherin. "Colubrid," he gasped.

"My, my, what's got you in such a rush? Say, where's that boy, Harry?" Slytherin asked as he swung outward.

Severus didn't give an answer as he swept into his quarters. He quickly glanced around, still breathing heavily. He located Nagini on the couch, and wondered how he should address her. He didn't speak parseltongue, like the Dark Lord, or Harry.

He chose to touch the huge snake on her back, and she raised her head to look at Severus. "Er…" he started. Then, he waved his arm back awkwardly and said, "Follow me."

Somehow, Nagini understood him and followed him out of the room. Severus tried not to stare at the mesmerizing movements of her tail as she slithered alongside him. It was so similar to Harry's occlumency shields.

Soon, they got back to the hospital wing. He briefly watched Draco and Narcissa, who had tear tracks down their faces. Albus and Lucius were nowhere to be seen.

Nagini hissed violently from where she was at Severus's side. He involuntary jumped, thanks to many years of experience as a Death Eater.

The serpent slid faster than he had ever seen her go. She startled all of the Malfoys when they heard her, and their wands came out again.

"Wait!" Severus said, holding out a hand. "She is on our side."

Draco gestured wildly. "Are there any other converted… _beings_ we should know about?" he asked, sounding a bit frazzled.

Severus thought for a millisecond. "No, not that I know of."

Poppy came back into the room. She stopped when she saw the huge snake coiled around Harry. Severus half expected to shoo Nagini away, but her survival instinct probably won out.

She cast another diagnostic charm over Harry. She seemed satisfied with what she saw, and she turned to face Severus. "The knife that had cut his face was cursed with a somewhat ancient curse…" she paused. This was unlike her.

"What?" Severus prompted.

This seemed to bolster her. "The knife will not allow me to heal the wounds completely, and he will be left with scars."

Severus blinked. He turned around slowly and breathed out. "You and I know that he won't react well to new marks, Poppy."

The mediwitch nodded solemnly. Then, she got a curious gleam in her eyes. "It seems as if you have finally realised that Harry isn't as much like his father as he seems."

Severus decided that it wouldn't be efficient to argue. He remained silent as he looked back at the young man with his snake on the hospital bed. It was true that he was starting to know _Harry_ rather than _Potter_.

He remembered the events that had led him to this situation. After Lucius had rushed off to fetch the rest of his family, Severus had ran outside into the night. He had apparated away to Hogwarts, speeding through the front gates. By the time he had gotten to the infirmary, he had seen Poppy rush in with Harry. Yes, that was how long it took for him to arrive at the hospital wing. Hogwarts was a large school.

He had immediately aided the mediwitch in helping the young man, but when the Malfoys came in looking concerned, he had been momentarily stunned. He hadn't believed that they had been actually worried about Harry's health until then. Severus had thought that they were just holding the wizard for ransom.

Severus came back to the present. Poppy was checking Harry's vitals, making sure they were still steady. It had taken some of their best efforts to make sure he didn't die during the night.

Severus gazed at Harry's freshly scarred face. Against all odds, in the last day, he had become to care for the young man.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry was dreaming. He was on the quidditch pitch, looking for something. What was he looking for? Oh, yeah. Quidditch. He was looking for the snitch. Funny thing was, he was the only person _on_ said quidditch pitch. The sky was overcast, and every color seemed strangely muted. Thunder rolled across the sky, echoing around the large pitch. Harry's hair blew around his head as the wind picked up, and he suddenly flew up. Keep in mind that he was dreaming, and he had no idea _why_ he was doing something - he just did it.

He swept downwards, mimicking something he performed in first year. He raced toward the ground, until the last second - he pulled himself up, executing a move most professional quidditch players had trouble doing.

As he looped around, it felt as if something was coiling around him. It felt so… familiar. Comforting. Then, he felt an inexplicable rush of energy coarse through his veins.

Gasping, his eyes snapped open from the dream.

Everything seemed like one huge blur of color. He tried to sit up, but it seemed like something was restraining him. He tried to speak, but the only thing that came out was a painful croak.

Then, the past few days' memories came rushing back to Harry. Was he still in Malfoy Manor? If he was… he didn't know that he could hold out for much longer.

His vision suddenly cleared as someone put his glasses over his nose. Harry blinked, taking in where on earth he was. He was in the hospital wing of Hogwarts, with Madam Pomfrey's head hovering over Harry's line of view.

Harry cleared his throat, and attempted to speak again. Still, nothing. The only results he got were a sore throat and a stern-looking mediwitch.

"Now, Mr. Potter, it won't do you any good to try to speak. You did quite a number on your throat." Harry's eyes widened. Were his vocal cords permanently damaged? Did he really… scream… that loudly?

Pomfrey then started to reach toward Harry's right hand, seemingly oblivious to his worries. He instinctively flinched back, irrational fear filling his brain. He was back in Malfoy Manor, Voldemort leering down at him… Uncle Vernon was holding a belt above his head… It seemed like he had been bound only to stop him from sitting up, not from moving.

When he realised that no one was going to touch him, and that he was still at Hogwarts, his eyes cracked open. Pomfrey was looking very concerned, and Harry mouthed, "_Sorry."_

The mediwitch immediately looked remorseful. "Oh, my dear, it isn't your fault. You've been through a very traumatic experience - I shouldn't have touched you without a warning." Harry didn't like what she was implying. It sounded like she thought he had finally lost it. He was still very sane, thank you very much.

He risked a glance down. Sure enough, he looked like a half-mummy. He also had a certain snake coiled completely around his body.

Ah.

So that was why he couldn't sit up.

He breathed deeply, relishing the state of non-pain he was in. Harry had no doubt it was only temporary, but he would enjoy it while it lasted.

The movement that he had made while flinching had awoken the serpent. She blinked and raised her head to Harry's. "_Oh, hatchling. What hasssss happened to you?"_

Harry sighed, ignoring the pain in his throat. "_I think you know already, Nagini."_ Harry then was pleasantly surprised. Speaking in parseltongue didn't hurt! He glanced up at Pomfrey. She looked shocked. "_What?_" he mouthed.

She seemed to regain some of her professionalism. "It's nothing, Mr. Potter. It just seems like some rumours can be true."

Harry raised his eyebrows at that. Then, he groaned in pain. His forehead _hurt_.

Pomfrey looked exasperated. "Don't _do_ that, Mr. Potter. You'll injure yourself further."

He then remembered what had led him to being captured in the first place. "_The battle,_" he mouthed dramatically.

The mediwitch thankfully understood him. "We did win the battle. However, the Dursleys were all… they all passed away."

Harry was floored. "_What?_" he repeated, gobsmacked. The Dursleys couldn't be dead! They had been pretty much the only constant in his life ever since Voldemort had killed his parents!

Then, she seemed to remember something. "Oh. But, your cousin, Dudley, did survive. In fact, he's here right now."

Harry was bewildered. Here? Now? How was he able to even _see_ the castle in the first place!?

Pomfrey moved away, shuffling through a potions cabinet. "Now… where did I put… Ah-ha!" She pulled out a neon yellow bottle. Harry squinted, wrinkling his nose. He settled for closing his eyes when that motion made his face twinge. Why was his face still injured? Couldn't they have healed him already?

"_Army-Leader, why are you upsssset?"_ Nagini asked, laying her head back down on Harry's chest.

Harry relayed the information he had been given to the serpent. She didn't seem surprised.

"_Thisssss issss all old newssss to me."_

Harry looked surprised, and then he asked, "_How did you know?"_

"_I ssssaw everything firssssthand, remember?"_ she reminded him.

He nodded. Pomfrey returned with the bottle, which was now a greenish color, since she added some unknown ingredients into it.

"Lift your head up," she said. Harry did as she told, and she spread the substance over his throat. "This won't heal your vocal cords immediately, but if you apply this daily, it should help the process."

Harry nodded. "_What time is it?"_ he mouthed.

Madam Pomfrey must've had some experience with mouth-reading, since she looked down at her pocket watch. "It is 12:36 in the afternoon," she answered. She slid it back into her robe pocket as she said, "You have been unconscious for about a day."

Harry then lifted his hand to touch his face. "Do you want a mirror?" He nodded.

She _accio_ed one from across the room. Pomfrey hesitated while giving it to him. Harry wondered, _Are my injuries that bad?_ as he took it from her hands. She went away, giving him some space.

He stared at his reflection in horror. Sure enough, he looked _bad_. And even that was an understatement. He rose his fingers again to touch his face, and he noticed how his left pinkie was suspiciously missing. He swallowed as bile rose up in his throat. No need to lose it now. _They don't look _too _horrendous, Harry,_ a voice in his head whispered. _Bellatrix isn't that bad of an artist, as messed up as that sounds._

Harry took a deep breath. It wasn't as if he was expecting anything different. He lowered the mirror, seeing Nagini looking at him, concerned. "_I'm okay, Nagini,"_ Harry said.

She nodded. "_I musssst asssssk,"_ she began.

"_What isss it?"_

"_Who did this to your face?"_ she asked, almost timidly.

Harry scowled, though not at Nagini. "_Female-Warrior did that."_ Bellatrix's name was strange in parseltongue.

The serpent hissed angrily. "_I'm not sssssurprised. What did she ussse?"_ Harry averted his eyes. "_Pleassse, Army-Leader, I would not assssk if it were not important."_

He sighed in defeat. "_I know. It'sssss jusssst a bit difficult to talk about."_ She nodded in understanding. "_She ussssed a knife."_

"_Did she not conjure it?"_ Nagini questioned. Harry shook his head, and the snake looked alarmed. "_Wassss it on a rack of torture itemssss?"_ He nodded. Nagini hissed lowly.

"_What'ssss wrong?"_ Harry asked, worried.

"_If thissss wasss truly the knife she usssed on you, then thosssse woundssss cannot be healed magically."_

Harry was confused. "_How isss thissss a problem?"_ he asked, not fully getting it.

Nagini looked exasperated. How such a range of emotions was possible in a snake, Harry might never know. "_I didn't want to be the one to exxxxplain thissss to you, but it ssseemss like I will."_ She lowered her head. "_Army-Leader, that knife wassss ssssspecccially desssigned to sssscar."_

Harry numbly lifted the mirror back up to his face. He touched the lines on his face with fingers that then felt strangely deadened. He traced them all the way to the corners of his eyes, wondering just how mentally ill someone had to be to inflict this sort of damage on a fellow human. If Lestrange even _was_ human.

So, he'd have even more scars. Just a few more features that would set him apart from the rest of wizardkind. It seemed like fate liked to throw every bad thing she could think of at him. Harry could feel himself sinking into thoughts of depression.

Then, he felt Nagini nudge him. "_Look at me."_ Harry did. "_Thisss doesss not change who you are in your heart."_ She poked him fondly over the chest with the end of her tail. "_I did not learn thissss lesssson early enough. Hate againsssst thosssse who have wronged me have turned me into a monsssster."_

Harry blinked. "_You're not a monsssster,"_ he said.

The snake tilted her head. "_Maybe not anymore. But rage drove me to do thingssss I would never have done before."_

"_Before what?"_

She seemed to retreat. "_That issss a sssstory for another time. Right now, you need to focussss on recovery."_

Harry decided to let the subject drop. He set the mirror back down on the side table, using his other hand to stroke Nagini's back. He knew that those who were truly on his side wouldn't leave him because of some new injuries.

Suddenly, the door to the infirmary burst open. A dishevelled-looking, but extremely _alive_ Remus Lupin stumbled in the room. He seemed to glance around, unsure of where he was.

Harry temporarily forgot that his voice was gone, and he tried to say, "Professor!" but it came out as more of a croak. He immediately regretted it, since his throat protested heavily.

Remus started, noticing Harry in the hospital bed. He rushed over, hands out in front of him like most adults did when confronting someone they thought was hurt.

The, he noticed Nagini. He stopped a few feet away from the bed, eyes trained on the snake.

Harry shook his hand, beckoning him closer. "_He issss a friend,"_ he explained to the serpent. He beckoned the man closer, and Remus smiled warily.

"Harry, it's nice to see you." Harry nodded, and he looked confused. "Can you not speak?" he asked. He shook his head.

"_Are you ssssure he issss a friend, Army-Leader? He ssssmellssss like ssssomeone I know, Moor-Dweller,"_ Nagini implored.

"_Yesss. Trussst me."_ He didn't ask _who_ this Moor-Dweller was. Harry looked back up at Remus. He didn't look too surprised at his ability to speak to snakes, but his eyes kept flicking around his face. Harry knew what he was going to ask next, feeling a sense of dread creeping down his spine.

"Harry… if you don't mind me asking… what _happened_?"


	11. Patronus

No matter what the headmaster said, Remus was _not_ ready to see poor Harry. He had been informed right as the boy had been stabilized.

He had to steel himself before walking into the infirmary, but even that wasn't enough to prepare him for the sight of his cub looking so… injured. He had glanced around, looking for him, but it took Harry's little croak to alert him of his presence. He had hesitated at the sight of the huge snake, Nagini, curled up around Harry, but the boy had beckoned him closer.

Remus had just barely refrained from asking what had happened to Harry's face, but that restraint dissolved a few minutes into the conversation. He wasn't usually like this, but the stress of the past few days had gotten to him.

"... what _happened_?"

Harry's face seemed to shut down. Remus knew immediately that he had overstepped some invisible line with his question. He started to hyperventilate as he squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. The grotesquely beautiful scarring around his face twisted. Remus felt frozen to the spot until Harry let out a pain-filled groan.

Shocked out of his stupor, he raced to the infirmary's office to fetch Madam Pomfrey.

The mediwitch jumped as the door banged open, and one of the portraits on the wall objected heavily at the sudden sound. "What is it?" she asked, looking concerned. She had already started to rise from her desk.

"Harry's started to have a panic attack of some sort," Remus explained as calmly as he could.

Poppy groaned, and she rushed out of her office. He followed her, and she was already by Harry's bed. She had his arm around his shoulder, and was whispering words in his ear that Remus couldn't quite catch. He had never seen the prickly lady so soft spoken.

As he came closer, he caught some of the things she was saying. "Breath for me, Harry. That's right. There's nothing to be afraid of, this is only temporary. If you'd like, we could go on a walk out on the grounds after your legs get better."

Slowly but surely, Harry's breathing leveled out and his eyes refocused on his bedsheets. He swallowed, then taking a deep breath.

_My cub, what did they _do _to you?_

Harry looked at his snake. She had uncoiled from around him, and was seeming worried. Well, as worried as a possibly evil snake could look.

The boy started hissing to it. Remus had no idea of what he was saying, but it seemed to soothe the agitated serpent. He saw as the scales around it relax. It twined around his body with a speed that was almost scary.

Harry took a deep breath and started waving his right hand slightly in the air. Poppy understood immediately and conjured a piece of parchment and a quill onto the bed.

"Self inking," she explained when Harry held up the quill, confused.

He nodded, and put the pen down on the paper.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Ronald Weasley was confused.

Harry's owl had begged to be let free and his mom and dad had been seemingly stressed over the past few days.

Now, they refused to answer him when he asked what was wrong.

A few days ago, they had gone into the fireplace, speaking out something that sounded suspiciously like "Hogwarts."

Now, no matter what everyone thought, Ron wasn't as dumb as people made him out to be. In fact, he was often quite smart. He managed to get the details, but he sometimes couldn't put them together.

This was one of those times.

He knew there was something wrong with Harry, and no one was telling him anything. Harry was his best mate! Why wouldn't anyone inform him of what was going on?

Ron popped his back, stretching up from doing the dishes. Honestly! Why did Mum make him do this when she could finish this job magically without breaking a sweat?

Women were strange.

He attacked the pan he was working on with new vigor, as if the cooking utensil could tell him all the secrets of the universe. _Or one secret in particular_, he thought.

He didn't notice as his parents came back through the floo network. Therefore, he also didn't notice how they were looking at one another gravely.

He did notice when his father put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Ron, come to the living room. And, sit down on the couch."

Filled with a sense of dread and anticipation, he complied. Would they finally tell him what was going on? Or had he done something?

Mum looked at Dad, seemingly nervous. Dad cleared his throat, clasping his hands on his lap. They were sitting in two chairs across from him. This was looking more and more like he was in trouble for something!

"Ron," Mum started.

"We went to Hogwarts today," Dad finished, sighing. He rubbed his palms on his burgundy trousers. "And, we learned that Harry was injured."

Ron was stunned. "Injured? While he was at his aunt and uncle's house?"

For some reason, his parents cringed at that. "Well, he was captured by Death Eaters."

"_What?!_" Ron yelled, but his mum shushed him.

"We did get him back," his dad said quickly. "None of your siblings know, though. We thought it best that Harry should tell _them_ what happened on his own terms, but you're his best friend. You'll be visiting him soon, perhaps tomorrow."

Ron was still stalled on the part where they said Harry had been captured by Death Eaters. "Death Eaters? Is he okay?" he rasped.

They looked at each other again. "For the most part," his dad said.

"For the most part? What does that mean?"

Mum winced, but it was barely visible. "He has some severe injuries that Madam Pomfrey wasn't able to heal all the way. It would be prudent of you to prepare yourself for Harry's… appearance."

Ron was aghast. "Is it really that bad?" he implored hoarsely, praying that this was some practical joke.

Dad's lips vanished as he nodded, looking away. Ron slumped down, thinking of the horrors that must've been inflicted upon poor Harry at God-only-knows where.

"Also, Hermione is coming over to spend the rest of the summer here," Mum added. At least there was _some_ bit of good news.

"Oh, and Ron?" Dad said as he was about to leave the room. "Harry seems to have a new pet snake. Don't be alarmed when you see her."

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Ronald Weasley was very alarmed when he saw her. In fact, the ginormous snake draped all the way across Harry's bed was the very _first_ thing he saw.

He heard someone chuckle, and Ron's eyes were drawn to the source.

_Oh,_ Harry, he thought. _This is worse than I expected._

Safe to say, a night's sleep (with an unhealthy dose of nightmares) hadn't done Harry Potter any favours. His face was extremely pale, making the still-angry marks on his face stand out even farther.

Little did he know, it got a whole lot worse. Harry waved at him, and Ron saw the bandage around his hand. As he got a closer look, he noticed there was a distinct _something_ missing.

There was a conspicuous gap where his left pinkie finger was supposed to be.

Ron tried not to stare as he waved back. He hoped it was just bent down, but it wasn't like he was going to _ask_. No matter what everyone thought, he wasn't _that_ tactless.

He sat down in the chair next to the bed. Harry picked up a quill and a piece of parchment that was already covered with words. He scribbled a few things down, and raised it to let Ron see.

_Hey,_ it said. "_Sorry about the surprise."_ Which one? Ron thought wryly. "_It's nice to see someone my age."_

Ron chuckled. "No kidding. Hey - I've heard from my dad that the only company you've had has been Remus, Madam Pomfrey, and _Snape_!"

Harry rolled his eyes. He started writing again. "_He's really not all that bad once you get to know him."_

Ron wrinkled his nose. "That greasy git?" Harry smiled. "There's no _way_ he could be _nice_!"

Then, Harry's smile faltered. "_Snape's actually saved my life quite a few times."_

Oh. Well, then. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then, he gestured to the humongous snake on his bed. "Now, who's this?"

Now, Harry _really_ started to grin. He bit his tongue, writing one word down on his paper.

"_Nagini"_

Ron jumped back, falling from his chair. "_Nagini?_ Harry, have you lost your _mind?_! Don't you remember what it _did_ to my dad just last year?! It sent him to St. Mungo's!"

Harry nodded solemnly. "_I do,"_ he wrote. "_But she's changed. She's no longer a mindless animal following Voldemort."_

Ron was still doubtful. "All right, then. But don't come haunting me when she kills you in your sleep!" Harry rolled his eyes. Then, his brain caught up with recent events. "Why are you writing on paper?" he asked, warily sitting back down.

Harry pursed his lips. He absently scratched at one of the angry red marks on his face before bending back down over his paper.

"_I can't talk,"_ he wrote. "_I have to wait for my voice to heal. If it ever does."_ Ron, concerned, took in a breath, about to ask another question. Harry raised a finger, silencing him. "_Don't ask me what happened. Please."_

Ron clicked his mouth closed, stunned. He must be serious about this. _Well, Ron, why wouldn't he be?He was almost tortured to death by Death Eaters!_ a voice that sounded suspiciously like Hermione's rang in his head.

Harry must've noticed his chagrined expression and mistook it as disappointment.

"_If you want to know what happened so badly, then you can read it."_ He gestured to the writing above.

"No, no! I didn't mean that. I just was being boneheaded as usual," he said back. Ron grimaced. "I don't think I even _want_ to know, to be honest."

Harry shook his head. "_You don't. I had to recount all of it to Madam Pomfrey. Something about therapy, she said."_

He tilted his head back. "Yeah… I remember one of my brothers saying something about how talking about a traumatic experience can defuse some of the emotions behind it."

Harry hefted his parchment. "_Or in my case, writing."_

"Is your hand sore?"

He gave him a look that said, _What do you think?_

"Point taken," Ron said, grimacing. At that, the doors to the infirmary burst open. They both whipped around to see the incomer.

Snape!

Ron jumped up from his chair, pointing his wand at the filthy Death Eater. "Get out of here, Snape!" he snarled.

The greasy haired man wrinkled his nose. "I think not," he replied coolly. "You'd best remember your place, Mr. Weasley. I am still one of your teachers."

Ron was about to shoot back a scathing remark, until he felt Harry tugging on his sleeve and the snake hissing. He looked down at the hastily scrawled words on his paper.

_"Calm down! He was one of the ones that healed me!"_

Ron took in Harry's earnest expression, and caved. He had almost forgotten Harry was in the room, due to his rage at their potions professor.

Wordlessly, Snape swept to one of the cabinets on the other side of the room. Ron breathed out slowly, sitting back down. He looked back at his friend on the hospital bed, and he noticed Harry was practically staring a hole into Snape's back.

"What's up with you?" he whispered, leaning in.

Harry shook his head, stroking the back of his snake's head. Ron picked up that he did that when he was in deep thought or nervous.

Ron wondered if Snape was there for the torture. He was going to ask, but he thought better of it. He ran a hand through his flaming red hair, continuing their conversation.

They ignored the potions master in the background.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Thirty minutes later, Ron had left for the Burrow. Well, rather, Madam Pomfrey had shooed him away, telling him that her patient needed as much rest as he could get. Secretly, he agreed with her. He was getting a bit exhausted (Both of his presence and physically).

Sn- Severus had left the room about ten minutes before Ron had. He hadn't said a word other than the scathing remark he sent Ron's way. Harry wondered why. Had he offended the man? If anything, Harry should be the one avoiding Snape, after what had happened!

He… he still didn't want to think about that.

Keeping his thoughts preoccupied with memories of Quidditch, he drifted off.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus thundered around his quarters, keeping his eyes off of the doorway leading to Harry's room. He typically preferred a more subtle way of walking, but he was preoccupied. He was busy making the strongest anti-scar potion he could possibly come up with.

He didn't want to know how much Harry must hate him. Not that he cared.

He… he still didn't want to think about that. (A.N. Sound familiar? It should.)

The muggle boy that had survived the attack was still in the hospital wing in a spell- induced coma. Let's just say he had been… inconsolable over the loss of both his parents in one fell swoop. He should wake up in a day's time. He didn't know if Harry had been informed of his cousin's whereabouts or not.

The hassle it was to get Harry's cousin inside the castle was enormous. It took some rather impressive wandwork from the headmaster to allow his body to be _levitated_ inside Hogwarts. Severus wondered how hard it would have been to get the muggle into the school if he were conscious.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry was bored out of his skull. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had both visited him, but they had treated him like they thought he was going to shatter at a touch or a word said wrong. Given, he had fallen apart when Remus had mentioned… what had happened, but he wasn't likely to put on a repeat performance.

Of course, he had Nagini to talk to, but it wasn't the same as a real human being. For some reason, it seemed like there was something she wasn't telling him. Whenever Harry tried to bring up her past, she always expertly changed the subject as soon as possible.

Harry stroked her head again, glancing at the curtained-off section of the infirmary. He pondered for a solid twenty minutes over who could be behind it. As far as he knew, he was the only student in the castle. Okay, it might have been only ten minutes, but he needed something, _anything_, to occupy himself.

He sighed, feeling as if he were wasting time. What could he possibly do to pass the time? His eyes fell upon the stack of parchment that was on his bedside table.

He reached out his hand to grasp it with his left hand. It was slightly more difficult to hold things with a missing finger, but he managed. He put the self-inking quill to the paper, and stalled.

Who was he kidding?

He didn't have any talent when it came to things like this.

He mentally shrugged (as to not disturb his sleeping snake), and started drawing marks on his page. He spent the next twenty or so minutes recreating an image of the Hungarian Horntail. He could remember that dragon as if he had fought it the day before. He had almost zoned out until he focused on his croccupied again.

What was on the parchment wasn't half bad, actually. He had drawn a rough sketch of the dragon crouched down, breathing a plume of fire at a small figure on a broomstick.

It wasn't _that_ good, in his opinion, but he could improve. He set the parchment back down on his table.

He kept himself occupied for hours with his sketches. He drew Nagini, the Great Hall, Dudley, one of the merpeople in the lake, Dumbledore, and a plant on one of the windowsills of the infirmary.

Approximately three or four hours later, Madam Pomfrey came from her office for her required check on her patient. She spent a good five minutes fussing over his dressings and bandages, and monitoring the muscle recovery from the cruciatus curse.

When her eye caught the sketches he had set aside, her eyes widened fractionally. "Ah… Mr. Potter. Did you draw these?"

Almost timidly, Harry nodded.

"They look stunning. You should keep practicing with that quill of yours, and you'll find yourself as good at drawing as old Slytherin himself!"

Harry blinked. Salazar could draw?

"Actually, his specialty was painting, but still…" she trailed off as she rummaged around the shelves for more towels.

That was news for Harry.

Pomfrey looked up. "It's a paragraph in Hogwarts: a History, if you were wondering."

_Big surprise there,_ Harry thought. Nagini's coils stretched as she woke from her slumber. Her tongue flicked out at Pomfrey as she walked over with a wet towel, and she hesitated for a split second before shaking her head and giving it to Harry.

"I have nothing against you drawing, but like I said earlier - try not to aggravate the new skin on your right arm," she said briskly. Harry nodded, and she seemed content with that.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Poppy Pomfrey retreated back to her office. She honestly wasn't too convinced about that snake's loyalty to Harry. She had seen enough people succumb to Nagini's venom. But, if it made the poor boy happy, she would allow the serpent to remain in the infirmary.

With many observation charms.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Draco Malfoy was lounging about in the empty Slytherin common room. He was sitting in a chair next to the great window to the lake, and trying to read. Unsuccessfully. Like everyone else that was currently in the castle, he had a lot on his mind.

He hadn't seen Potter since he had been brought to the school in critical condition. He would have gone up to see him, but he was uneasy about the reception he'd get. He didn't know if Potter was aware of who had saved him or not, and even if he did know, he was most likely to be rebuffed by the paragon of the Light. Dumbledore had given them protection from the Dark Lord, but if _Harry Potter_ reacted vehemently against their presence in the castle, he didn't know what the headmaster's reaction would be.

Most likely negative.

It had taken ages in the shower to wash off all of the blood on his person. His outfit was a hopeless disaster, with all of the dried brown stains on it. Even his strongest cleaning charm wouldn't do much.

Even though it wasn't the school year yet, the Decree for Underage Magic couldn't detect him through the magical wards of the castle. It was the same for the Manor. His father had intentionally cast similar ones around their home so Draco could practice using magic at a young age. Most witches and wizards thought it was against the law. His father had specifically searched for rules against it, and there were none. Not that it being illegal would've stopped his father, mind.

He tossed the book back and forth between his hands. _Potions and Their Ties to Dark Arts_, it read. His godfather, Severus had lent it to him earlier. He had told him it might keep him occupied, but he was brooding anyways.

He sighed, and tried (in vain) to focus on his book.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus was making his way up to the infirmary with vials of potions levitating behind him. It was mainly his job to restock potions wherever they were needed, along with his duties of head of house and potions professor.

He planned to ignore the young man again once he got upstairs. The past few days had been stressful enough without another person he had gotten to know rebuffing him over a mistake or something he couldn't help.

He slammed open the infirmary doors with practiced intimidation, and stalked over to the cabinets. He didn't once look at Harry.

Setting them down on the table next to the drawers, he was about to exit the room until a timid, hoarse, "Sir?" stopped him in his tracks.

So much for ignoring him.

"Yes, Potter?" Severus replied, not turning around.

"Can…" he cleared his throat painfully. "... can I talk to you?"

Severus inwardly groaned. Why, _why_ must this young man torture him with his guilt? "Yes, Mr. Potter. But make it quick, I have things to do." He really didn't, he just wanted to get away as fast as possible. Call him a coward, but he didn't want to have another Lily moment, even if he had only truly _known_ Harry for a few days.

He went over to stand by Harry's bed, meeting his gaze. Severus searched hard, but… he didn't find anything accusatory in his eyes. Although, that might be because of his surprisingly adept occlumency shield. Suddenly, it became hard to meet his eyes. Even if his gaze wasn't accusing him, his horrific scars were.

_You did this. You were my responsibility. You've failed, yet again. You caused me so much pain._

Harry seemed to get right to the point. "_Why have you been avoiding me lately?"_ he wrote.

Severus snapped out of his reverie. "I have not been avoiding…" his words fell flat even to his own ears. He finally looked away, not wanting to see the hurt in Harry's eyes.

"_Out of all the people I've trusted, you're the one that's been the most distant_."

That got a rise out of Severus. "You shouldn't have trusted me in the first place!" He ignored Nagini rising out of her slumber and hissing menacingly. "I am a horrible, terrible person! Look what I _did_ to you! That is what happens to some poor person almost every time we're called! I had never deserved your trust. I should never have deceived you."

He glanced up at Harry's face, expecting to see disgust. Instead, he saw shock. He bent down and scribbled something rapidly down onto his paper. "_Deceived me? Out of all the people that I have trusted, that I still do trust, you are one of the people who have never lied to me. Even the Weasleys have tried to keep certain things from me. I won't even get started on Dumbledore._" Severus snorted. "_You've always spoken your mind about me, and I get that some of it was just an act. But, still._"

That written tirade took up about half the page. Severus clenched his jaw. How on earth could Harry still look him in the eye after what he had done to him? He had sheared the skin right off of his entire right arm!

Harry's raised eyebrow clearly said, _Well?_

To be honest, Severus didn't know what to say, for once in his life. He simply set the page down on the table, and spoke his mind. "I am… glad that you still deem me worthy of your confidence, but I may be forced to do something like this again." He gestured vaguely towards… his entire body.

Harry nodded in understanding. He grabbed the paper off of the desk and started writing again. "_I'm curious. How did I get out of that hellhole? Did you save me?_"

Severus almost cringed at the questions. He wasn't sure what his reaction would be if he told him. The young man noticed his hesitation and twirled his wrist as if to say, _Go on._

He cleared his throat. "Believe it or not… allies saved you from Malfoy Manor. I was going to get you myself, when I saw these people save you themselves."

"_Who were these people? Aurors?_"

"No." Severus couldn't remember the last time he felt this fearful about telling a student something. "Aurors didn't save you. These saviours were, quite frankly, the _very least_ likely people to save you." He cleared his throat, preparing to deliver the news. "The Malfoys were the ones who incorporated the rescue."

His reaction was instantaneous. His jaw dropped and his eyebrows drew in. "_What?"_ his hoarse voice cried. His snake reared up, hissing to see if Harry was okay.

"Potter! Don't talk!" Severus said, holding his hands out. "You'll hurt yourself."

After a few seconds of soothing hisses towards Nagini, Harry's overwhelming shock turned into disbelief. "_I'm not sure I believe that,_" he wrote.

"Believe it or not, it's still true," Severus replied.

"_And what happened to calling me Harry?_"

"I wasn't sure you still wished me to call you by your first name after… the incident." For some unknown reason, he felt strangely reassured that he still wanted to have that between them.

Harry gave him an incredulous look. "_You're the person that saved me from the Dursleys. I know that you had to keep up your act as the ever-loyal servant for your job as a spy. You're one of the bravest people I know. It's amazing how one's viewpoint towards someone can change completely - in not even a day._"

Severus thought the same. "Are you always this open to the people you know?" He asks, a slight smile gracing his face.

"_Only people who have been with me through life-or-death experiences._"

"A lot of people, then?" he retorted.

"_Ha, ha. Do you know if there's any way to make this writing thing easier on me? It's making my hand hurt. Especially since, you know, all of the skin was removed from it and is in the process of regrowing._"

Severus furrowed his brow, thinking. He tried to temporarily distance himself from the fact that _he himself_ had inflicted some of these terrible injuries upon Harry. "If I'm not mistaken, I _do_ know the charm for something similar to the quick-quote-quills that actually does transcribe what you say, and not some over-inflated hogwash that some people call eloquence."

Harry shook with silent chuckles and gave the quill to Severus. He set it down on the desk and started to mutter Latin and wave his wand over it. As he was adding the final touches, he noticed the multiple pieces of parchment on the surface he was working on. There were drawings on the pieces of paper that weren't half bad, he noted.

"Your cousin is over there in the curtained off section of the library," he added. He ignored the pensive look that crossed Harry's face. "He's expected to wake soon."

He presented the quill to Harry and explained how it worked. "All you have to do to activate it is to touch it. It will recognize your magical signature, thus setting it in motion. To erase what you have thought onto the page, think "delete" plus whatever you want to erase. If you want to actually _use_ the word delete in whatever you are writing, think "word delete."

He must not have explained it well enough, because Harry's brow furrowed. "It works the same way as occlumency. You wanted to put your shields up, so you put the image of your snake at the forefront of your mind. You do the same for this quill, only with words."

Harry picked up the quill dubiously. Immediately, it sprang to attention, making him flinch backwards minutely. Severus pretended not to notice.

The first few words it wrote were, "_Wow, this works!"_

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I was unaware there was any doubt in the matter."

Harry grinned sheepishly.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Dudley Dursley's eyes cracked open. He gave a groan as he sat himself up, the bed creaking as it complained about his weight. He seemed to be in a hospital of sorts, but everything seemed… different. There was a curtain obscuring his view right in front of him, but beside him were old looking bottles with unknown substances in them.

Where… What…

Oh.

Oh, yeah.

Dudley suddenly remembered everything that had happened before his memory went dark. Attack. Death.

For some reason, he didn't feel as panicked as he should have been. He felt almost… sluggish.

In the background, he heard someone talking. It was a low, baritone that seemed to be talking to himself. Dudley was very curious, but he just couldn't scrounge up the willpower to actually move.

Then, the curtains flew back, revealing a haggard looking woman. She was dressed in what looked like very heavy white sheets. Dudley squinted, thinking. Where had he seen this clothing before? His eyes widened in recognition.

Robes! She was wearing robes!

His suspicions were confirmed when she pulled out a stick similar to Harry's wand.

"You're a wizard!" Dudley said.

The lady's mouth twisted into a wry smile. "I am a witch, dear. You may call me Madam Pomfrey." She started to wave her wand over him, and he fidgeted uncomfortably, flushing with embarrassment.

There was motion behind this 'Madam Pomfrey.' A figure in black robes turned around to look at him. He was a scary man, with a large nose and long black hair. The first thought that popped into Dudley's mind was, _Vampire_! He didn't voice this thought, however. He had embarrassed himself enough today.

Past the man was a boy that looked about a year younger than him with a heavily scarred face… black hair… snake.

Harry!

Oh, heavens. He looked terrible! What had happened to him?

He was hardly aware that his jaw was open, until the dark man said in a smooth voice, "Is your brain capable of scrounging up a comment, or are we going to be waiting here for an eternity?"

Dudley's jaw worked, shock slowly turning into fear of this great bat-man. Like the hero Batman in the comics, but one unafraid to kill.

Harry shifted, and Dudley saw a feather that was levitating above a piece of paper, and it started to _move_! He didn't know why he was so amazed, though, because he obviously was in a different world than he was used to.

The severe man looked over at the paper, and what he saw made him scowl. Well, scowl even further. "You and I both know the torture this boy put you through," he murmered, clearly thinking that Dudley couldn't hear. He didn't notice, however, the slight wince of both of them at his choice of words.

"Severus, be quiet. You can intimidate the boy later, after I get his scan ready, with another calming draught," Pomfrey said.

Surprisingly, the man's features relaxed. "Yes, of course. After all, he will be staying with me." He chuckled darkly at Dudley's expression of slight panic.

"Really?" He choked out.

The man - Severus - laughed again. "Yes, but worry not. I am not so… intimidating… when you get to know me."

The feather on the paper moved again. The man looked at it again, and huffed. "Well, that day has come." Dudley had no idea what had just transpired, but it made Harry smile.

"Erm, Harry?" he finally said, scrounging up what little courage he had. Harry's eyebrows rose. "What-"

"Don't ask what happened!" Severus barked.

Dudley blinked. "Why not?" he risked.

The man's glare became icy. Dudley backed up close to the headboard as the man advanced menacingly, despite Pomfrey's protests.

"Do you," the man growled, "want to send Harry into another relapse of a panic attack?"

"_Panic attack?"_ Dudley mouthed, eyes flicking over to where Harry was waving heavily bandaged arms across his chest in a futile attempt to stop Severus from speaking.

"Yes," he said, tilting his head to the side. "And if you know what's best for you, you won't mention anything about what transpired a few days prior."

Dudley nodded rapidly. In the background he saw Harry's head in a hand. He wondered if it hurt him on his bandaged forehead to rest his upper body weight on it.

Madam Pomfrey finally managed to shoo Severus away from his bedside, making him stand by Harry and the snake.

"Here you go, dear," she said, handing him a vial of… something. "It's another calming draught. It won't taste good, but you need it for now." Dudley wanted to ask why, but frankly, he was terrified of what this woman could do to him if she were provoked. He downed it in one go, wrinkling his nose and nearly gagging at the taste.

"Uhg, that's… it really doesn't taste good," he repeated after the mediwitch.

She snorted, and walked away to look at Harry. She was murmuring something to him and Severus, and Harry was nodding almost continuously nodding. Dudley felt a rushing sense of _calm_, and he felt as if the world could end and he wouldn't care.

He laid back on his covers, and the mediwitch glanced over her shoulder at him. "Ah, that should be the draught kicking in. Curious."

Dudley's eyes closed, falling into a deep sleep.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Poppy Pomfrey closed the door to her office, thinking. She hadn't thought the draught would work on the muggle boy. According to almost every medical and potions text ever written, potions weren't supposed to be effective on non-magical folk.

Unless…

Unless the boy was more magical than anyone ever suspected.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry waved goodbye to Severus as he exited the infirmary. He chuckled silently as he remembered the man's reassurances to Dudley. He had written that he'd never thought he'd see the day where the '_Great Bat of the Dungeons'_ would be consoling anyone, let alone a _Muggle_. Oh, how times change.

He sighed as he lay back on the bed, Nagini watching him. _"I wassss wondering..."_ she began, but she broke off. The snake looked away, as if embarrassed.

_"Wondering what?"_ Harry asked, intrigued.

_"Well, remember when I told you that I didn't understand how your 'ssssspellssss' worked?"_ she asked, looking slightly sheepish. Harry nodded. _"I wassss wondering if you could tell me what ssssome of those 'sssspellsss' meant. I can never undersssstand them, and I am a notoriousssly curious ssssnake."_

Harry raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged. Why not? He had nothing better to do, other than perhaps working on his drawing skills. He reached over to his side table and plucked up his wand.

_"Thisss isssss the sssspell that makes a Sssspirit-Guardian."_ He paused as he digested the parseltongue word for "patronus." He thought about his happiest memory, and he hissed, _"Expecto patronum!"_

The next few moments were so chaotic he couldn't tell what was going on.

Suddenly, there was a _huge_, almost _blinding_ flash of light that consumed the whole room. Harry threw his hands up over his closed eyes, but the burn of the blue luminescence still attacked his pupils.

During the moment where Harry had pitched his arms over his face, he had dropped his wand in pure shock. After a few seconds of the terribly dazzling lights, Harry sensed that the worst of the impact had abated. He dropped his hands from his eyes, still squinting.

His jaw dropped.

If he had thought previously that his stag patronus looked spectacular, that was nothing compared to the _being_ standing in front of him that very instant.

At the foot of his bed stood a huge, larger than life stag. From what it looked like, the creature shouldn't have even been able to carry its antlers on its head, they were so big and intricate. Its eyes looked strangely… intelligent. Wisps of bluish white vapor were streaming off of it in bright, intoxicating waves. The creature was so brilliant, it looked like it was nighttime outside.

Nagini stirred in his lap, getting over the initial shock of seeing a gleaming, humongous stag leap out of a wand. _"Issss thissss what happensssss every time a Ssssspirit-Guardian issss ssssummoned?"_ she asked feebly.

Harry shook his head faintly. _"No… no it issssn't."_

As if on cue, the door to Madam Pomfrey's office swung open. The mediwitch rushed out, hesitating only a split second when she saw the impressive _creature_ standing in the middle of the room. She rushed over, sidestepping the glaringly bright stag.

"Mr. Potter!" she said, confounded. "What in Merlin's name _happened_?"

Harry shrugged. "That's what I'm trying to figure out," he rasped. He touched his throat. Woah! His voice didn't hurt nearly as badly as it did even that morning!

She was too stunned to reprimand him for using his voice. "I was just-" he broke off, coughing.

"I was just explaining what a patronus charm was to Nagini, and then _this_ happened!" He gestured wildly to the stag, who was passively blinking at him. "I don't even have my wand in my hand anymore!" At the end of this tirade, he doubled over, hacking coughs wracking his frame.

The patronus elegantly toed its way closer to Harry, and dipped its nose into his collarbone. Immediately, his throat felt as good as new, as if he hadn't gone through two days of torture. The stag pulled back, looking at him… almost expectantly.

Harry, as if in a trance, nodded at this figure and lifted his wand. He swished it from side to side, and it seemed to dismiss the creature.

"Potter, if I may ask, _what was that_?"


	12. Horcrux

Draco Malfoy stared in shock at the impressive figure that had just backed away from Potter's bed. He had come to the infirmary to try to explain to Potter how and _why_ he and his family had saved his life.

He wasn't expecting to see _this_.

Potter whished his wand, and the figure vanished.

He stepped forward, curious. "Potter, if I may ask, _what was that_?"

The dazed look on his face vanished almost immediately. "Malfoy," he said neutrally. "I have no idea what that was."

Draco raised one eyebrow at him. "Really? Because, to me, it looked like a patronus charm gone either extremely wrong or extremely right."

Potter looked extremely tense and suspicious. Although, Draco didn't blame him - his supposed rival (in both school and a war) was being civil to him.

"Boys, let's not start a fight in the middle of the infirmary," Madam Pomfrey scolded. "Don't forget that we have another patient sleeping on the other side of that curtain!" She pointed towards the other side of the room.

"I couldn't care less about what that muggle thinks," Draco retorted. A split second later, he regretted it because both Potter and his snake were staring at him with incenced expressions.

"Get out of here, Malfoy," he hissed. Draco, knowing when to argue and when not to, turned on his heel and stalked out of the infirmary.

_How dare he speak to me like I'm nothing more than scum on the bottom of his shoe?_ Draco thought, storming down the corridor leading from the infirmary. _I try to be nice for once, and this is how I'm repaid?_

His mind was full of these angry thoughts until he found himself in front of where his parents were staying. They were actually not too far from the infirmary, all things considered. He didn't feel like marching all the way back to the dungeons after being thoroughly rejected by the Gryffindor Golden boy.

He whispered the password to the knight guarding the passageway to his mother and father's room. The bricks on the wall slid away to reveal the opening, kind of like the tunnel from the Leaky Cauldron to Diagon Alley. He slid inside, the stones soundlessly dropping back into place.

It was a nice place, very spacious. Although it wasn't as grand or imposing as the Manor was, the mere memory of Potter's screams made him glad he was in Hogwarts instead of there. That place was haunted with too many bad memories and misused dark magic.

His father was sitting on the couch, reading a thick book. He glanced up when Draco walked into the room, but looked back down once he had identified who the incomer was.

"Ah, Draco," he said. "To what do we owe this pleasure?" He turned a page.

"Nothing," he lied. "I just decided I would grace you with my presence." He wasn't about to tell his father that he had angered the paragon of the Light merely a day after he had been told to step lightly around him. There was something about Potter that just… made his skin itch. It wasn't Potter as a person, he didn't think, but there was just something… off… about his aura. (A/N: Remind you of anything?)

Lucius hummed, obviously not believing him. He ended up dropping the subject, however, much to Draco's relief.

Narcissa emerged from the door leading to the bedroom. She didn't seem surprised to see Draco standing there, and she raised her wand to conjure a cup of tea. She daintily sat down on a seat and took a sip.

Draco hummed noncommittally as he made his way over to his room. In all honesty, he had thought that he would never use it, since he had his dormitory down in Slytherin. He found himself reaching out for any positivity he could possibly get. The headmaster had attempted to reach out to him, but it was always a bit awkward sitting across from him with almost nothing to talk to him about.

Like before, he summoned his potions book and started reading.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry just couldn't _believe_ the audacity of that guy! He was just starting to wrap his head around the idea of Malfoy rescuing him, and then the man himself has to just show up and make him so irritated he felt like storming up to him and smacking his face off!

What was he even doing, coming up to the infirmary? Was he sick or something?

_Serves him right,_ his subconscious growled.

_Cut him some slack, okay? You were the one that attacked _him _in the first place,_ another voice responded.

Harry truly was going insane.

Nagini sighed, taking in Harry's silence. "_He truly wasss conccccerned for you when you got delivered to the infirmary a few dayssss ago,"_ she commented.

"_I jussssst find that very hard to believe, Nagini,"_ he said. Harry truly was conflicted. On one hand, Malfoy _had_ been slightly agreeable before the comment about his cousin. On the other hand, though, it was hard to get over the years upon years of abuse he'd taken from the blond.

Harry honestly didn't know what to think.

HPHPHPHPHP

Later that night, Severus Snape could be seen pacing his quarters anxiously. The Dark Lord hadn't called any meetings since the last night Harry had been tortured gave him an ominous sense of dread, as if the Dark Lord already knew of the Malfoys' betrayal, and was biding his time until he could strike.

He took slight comfort in the fact that Harry had learned how to occlude his mind from outside attacks from the Dark Lord. It was astonishing how the young man had learned how to do that so quickly. One might think it a bit… unnatural, how fast he learned. And with such an unusual shield!

He made his mind up to make a quick trip up to the infirmary. It might settle his mind on the matter, seeing Harry safe and sound. _Goodness Severus,_ he thought. _How opinions have changed!_

How indeed.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Nagini curled up around Army-Leader just a bit tighter. She would never let her little hatchling get hurt again, under her watch. Her yellow eyes observed Army-Leader's serene, sleeping face. While awake, the human-adolescent's face was tense and drawn, at great juxtaposition to what she was seeing now.

She didn't blame him for his weariness.

The doors to the infirmary _creeeeeaked_ open slowly, and Nagini whipped up from her spot on Army-leader's chest. Who would walk through those doors? An enemy? A friend? She couldn't be sure, so she coiled up for attack anyways.

Her muscles immediately relaxed as she saw the being come into the moonlight streaming from one of the enormous windows.

Severe-Stern.

The human-man regarded her with a stiff expression, obviously expecting an attack of some sort.

When the snake showed no more signs of outward aggression, the human-man silently levitated a big, plush chair to the side of the bed.

He elegantly sat down on it, showing no weakness even to a serpent.

Nagini lay her head back down on Army-Leader's chest, still watching the Magic-Liquid-Making human.

After a few hours of Severe-Stern standing vigil (or sitting vigil) over Army-Leader, the human-man eventually slipped into the land of the slumbering. He made quite an amusing figure, mouth slightly open and head slumped over on his shoulder.

Suddenly, Nagini felt a foreign presence in her mind. She bolted upright for the second time that night, rousing the light sleeping human-man. Not wanting to disturb Harry as well, she calmed down and shut her eyes, blocking the sight from whoever had invaded her head.

She had a sinking feeling she knew who was trying to see what was happening - through her body. She had no way of warning Severe-Stern of what was transpiring without Army-Leader, so she just shut off every sense she could (that was basically limited to her sight).

She could hear Severe-Stern trying to speak to her, but everything he said sounded like gibberish. She had never understood the language of humans, but she had no doubt the person on the other side of her mind could.

Eventually, the presence in her head vanished, and she opened her eyes. Severe-Stern was clutching his left arm to his chest, a grave and stricken expression on his face.

She honestly didn't want the human-man to leave her with Army-Leader, who was still sleeping peacefully. What would happen to him? Would he be okay? Had The Forsaken One seen or heard too much? Had she just unknowingly condemned Army-Leader's spontaneous father figure to a fate worse than death?

The human-man left the room, stumbling a few times. She wasn't surprised. Her previous master's calls were always painful.

She slipped her eyelids closed, falling into an uneasy slumber.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus stumbled outside of the castle's wards, trying to not attract too much attention to his black robed, skull-masked self. Almost every time he was summoned, he had to go through the gates and into Hogsmeade. He had perfected the art of blending into the shadows years ago. He still hadn't informed the Malfoys about his little foray into their house.

He felt even more wary than usual after Nagini's little display in the infirmary. He had never seen the snake act like that, curling in on herself. It was like she was bracing for an attack that Severus couldn't see.

He apparated away, hoping that his fears were unfounded.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus arrived alongside a lot of other people. Obviously, the Dark Lord had summoned all of his entourage. Meaning, this wasn't a meeting for solely his inner circle; it was a meeting for _all_ of the Death Eaters. He didn't know whether this was good or bad.

He had arrived at Malfoy Manor. He actually didn't know _where_ they would be meeting until he got to where he was supposed to be. There was some sort of magic that linked his Dark Mark to the Dark Lord himself, and that drew his magic force to wherever the wizard was at the time.

The Malfoys had wards around their house, of course, but it would always let in the Dark Lord. So, when Severus found the man himself sitting at the head seat at the Malfoy table, he wasn't too surprised.

He took his turn to kneel and kiss the hem of the wizard's robes. It was a very degrading practice, but it had to be done to keep his true allegiance a secret. He delved deeper into his occlumency shields as he got back up and glanced up at the Dark Lord's eyes.

He couldn't find anything in those eyes, as usual.

He took his seat at the table, next to the Dark Lord. One place was conspicuously vacant, most of the Death Eaters noticing who's it was.

It was Lucius Malfoy's spot.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Lucius Malfoy woke with a tremendous gasp, rousing Narcissa at his side. His Mark felt like it was burning into his very flesh.

He had hoped that the Dark Lord would have ignored him, but he had been terribly mistaken. He clasped his forearm to his torso, breathing heavily.

Narcissa, sleepily, asked, "What… what is it?" As she woke up further, she realized what was happening and snapped completely awake. "Oh. We knew this would happen. Do you have the potion?"

"Yes," Lucius ground out. "It's in the drawer in the nightstand."

Narcissa reached over and quickly grabbed the potion from the drawer. She handed it to him, and the ex-Death Eater hastily downed it. He sighed, his arm's pain shifting from a vicious burn to a dull throb. What he'd just imbibed was a complex pain potion that Severus had to brew for him specifically.

"Can you go back to sleep now?" his wife asked, and Lucius nodded wordlessly.

They both layed down, and tried to go back to sleep.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

"My fellow Death Eaters," the Dark Lord said, his voice dangerously low. "I have recently been informed that we have a betrayal in our ranks."

Ah. So that's what this meeting would be about.

"I couldn't help but wonder why this great, prestigious, and distinguished man and his family would turn away from the way that is obviously right." He suddenly stood from his chair and started pacing behind the chairs. "Maybe… we have yet another rat in our ranks?"

Pettigrew jumped minutely.

"Could it be… you, Yaxley?"

The man in question looked into the Dark Lord's eyes and shook his head. The man seemed to believe him.

"Hmmm… Dolohov? Rowle?" Both men rapidly dissuaded him of that notion. He proceeded to go through the list of his followers, until the potions master was the last person he had yet to call. Severus felt a slightly sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"What about…" he paused for dramatic effect.

"Severus?" he eventually asked.

Severus felt all the heads of the dining hall turn towards him. He raised his head to meet the Dark Lord's eyes. He buried his mind even deeper into his occlumency lake. "Yes, my Lord?" he asked.

The man proceeded to stalk closer to him, until he was directly behind the spy. "Are you still loyal to me, Severus?" the Dark Lord asked softly laying chilly hands on his shoulders.

Severus tried not to gasp or jump when he felt those appendages land on his body. "Of course, my Lord," he said, betraying none of his anxiousness.

The Dark Lord hummed, tensing his hands slightly. "Are you… sure of this?"

This was a rhetorical question. Severus nodded anyways, not trusting his voice to speak. He was sure that the snake-faced man behind him would kill him. How had his cover been blown?

Abruptly, the hands on his shoulders left him. Severus's body went taut, expecting a killing curse, or at least a _cruicio_.

To his great surprise, neither happened. The Dark Lord went back to pacing the room. "If you are still faithful to me, and only me, why… _why_… did I see you asleep over our sworn enemy's bed?"

Severus blinked. Of all responses for the man to give, that was not one he had been expecting. "Pardon me, my Lord?" How had he even seen him in the hospital wing of Hogwarts?

His disbelief must have shown in his voice. "You heard what I said, Severus_ssss_," the Dark Lord hissed.

"I was only there under Dumbledore's instruction," he lied quickly. "The old man is still concerned about the boy's health. He wished me to be there to watch him in his sleep. I had been attending a potion all of the night before, and I was already exhausted. I couldn't help but fall asleep."

The Dark Lord's serpentine, red eyes narrowed menacingly. "Very well. I believe you, for this moment in time. However," he pushed his chair into the table, "if I find that your loyalty has wavered, even just _slightly_, your life will end faster than a muggle at the wrong end of my wand."

Severus nodded silently as the Dark Lord waved everyone to stand. As if a spell, everyone stood and followed him out to the Malfoys' extensive grounds.

The place truly was beautiful. Ghostly white peacocks walked the gardens that were brilliantly colored during the day. The Manor loomed over them, like a commanding, judgemental figure.

It was like a switch had been flipped (another muggle device, it's brilliant), and the man screamed in rage. He flung his arms out, and every Death Eater fell under his rage. Severus bit back a cry of anguish as he felt a pain not _quite_ as bad as the cruiciatis, but close enough.

The Dark Lord practically threw a tantrum for the rest of the meeting.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry yawned and cracked open his dry, crusty eyes. He lifted up his arms to rub at said eyes, until he realized that there was no obstruction in the way of his arms. He grabbed his glasses from his bedside and slid them on his face.

Nagini was nowhere in sight.

Worried, he sat up and got to his feet for the first time in days - after quickly pocketing his wand. It felt like pins and needles were dancing all over his legs, thanks to his new skin, but he soldiered forward toward the doors to the infirmary. Inexplicably, he heard something _shift_ over closer to the windows.

Treading lightly, he headed over to a second curtained off part of the infirmary. Through the windows, he could see a tiny bit of the sun peeking over the majestic mountains surrounding the school.

Slightly fearful of what he'd find, he pulled back the curtains.

There Severus was, in all of his snarky glory, laid on the bed, looking as lifeless as a marionette. He was even paler than usual, face an unhealthy pallor. But, what was even more surprising, Nagini was wrapped around the man.

She blinked at him, and Harry asked what on earth she was doing, and why Severe-Stern was in the hospital wing.

She looked away, seeming almost… ashamed. "_It'ssss… a long sssstory."_

"_You know you can tell me anything, right?"_

"_Yessss, but what happened feelssss like my fault."_

Harry's eyebrows creased. "_What feelssss like your fault? Nagini, what happened?"_

The snake sighed, and launched into a story of Voldemort invading her mind and her not being able to block him out. She didn't know the rest of the story, but she did witness Severus being walked into the infirmary, arms around both of his shoulders.

Harry shook his head, feeling slightly chagrined. He thought the same way concerning his godfather. He thought it was his fault for the death of Sirius, but he _did_ have good reasons for blaming himself. "_Nagini, there'ssss no way that we could've known The Forssssaken One would try to channel his conssssciousnesssss through you. And, you haven't even attempted to practiccce occlumencccy. Issss that even posssssible for sssserpentssss?"_

The snake looked up at him sadly. "_To ansssswer your firsssst ssssstatement, I _had _thought about the posssssibility of The Forssssaken One abussssing the link between ussss."_

Harry blinked. "_Link?"_

Nagini looked away. "_Nevermind. To ansssswer your ssssecond sssstatement, I do believe it is posssssible for a sssssnake to learn how to guard her mind. The Forssssaken One, however, did not want me to learn thisssss sssskill. He did not like the idea that I could keep ssssomething from him."_

Harry decided he'd pursue the subject of this "link" later.

The idea of snakes learning the art of occlumency flew out of his mind when he heard the potions master Nagini was wrapped around begin to cough. He opened his eyes, looking a tad bit confused. He jerked when he realized he was bound to the bed, and he didn't know why.

HPHPHPHPHP

Severus came to his senses a split second later when he recognized who was binding him to his bed. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, his eyes sensitive even to the soft morning light.

He held back a groan as he woke up further. Harry was standing right over him, with a slightly concerned look on his face.

"Er… Severus?" he asked tentatively. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he grunted. "Just get this blasted snake off of me."

"Oh." Harry exchanged some hisses with Nagini, and the serpent quickly slid off of his body. Severus breathed in deeply, wondering exactly how Harry did this every night. It felt like the snake's weight would suffocate him if she stayed wrapped around him for hours on end.

Severus pushed himself upright. "Is there anything you wanted to ask me?" he asked, testily. It was six in the morning!

Harry looked sheepish. "I didn't mean to wake you, really. I was just looking for Nagini, and I found her over here."

Actually, Severus was secretly glad Harry had woken him. He was having _quite_ a dream involving Lucius Malfoy, socks, a hagfish, a house elf, and flying without a broom. He nodded at Harry, taking the explanation.

"Erm… what are you doing in the hospital wing? Nagini told me that she felt Voldemort-" Severus flinched almost imperceptably "-invaded her mind. What happened?"

Severus laid back his head. "I have the impression that my 'allegiance' has been compromised. He has not executed me yet, but that day may be impending."

Harry's face was thunderous. "If you feel like that, don't go back."

Severus quickly grew incensed. "If I didn't go back, who do you think would spy for the Order?" he hissed. He really didn't know why he was so testy over this subject. He just was.

"Well, you won't be very useful _dead_, now, would you?"

They both stared at each other angrily.

Severus realized he had leaned forward. He sat back against the headboard, exhaling. "Well. What would you want me to do?" he asked sarcastically. They had been getting along just fine the day before, why was he feeling like he had to lash out?

"Stay in the castle!" was his predictable answer.

Severus threw his arms up in a rare display of physical anger. He just barely saw the flinch of shock on Harry's face, and automatically felt a bit guilty. "Harry. I have to do this service for the side of the Light. If I fail to do this one minute duty, then I will not be an asset."

Harry's face seemed to crumble. All of the anger that had infused his body seconds before seemed to drain out of him. He sighed wearily, a sound that should have been leaving the mouth of one three times his age.

"Don't get yourself killed. Please."

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

_Hey there, readers. Sorry for the long wait, if you were following this story. Schoolwork has just caught up with me! It seemed like I had almost no time to write whatsoever. I honestly can't believe that the products of my messed-up-brain has caught so much attention already! Y'all are terribly flattering._

_I'll try to keep a consistent stream of updates, but I can't promise anything, really. Sorry!_

_:)_


	13. Mirrors

Both Severus and Harry gave each other a long look. Harry really didn't know why Severus was so adamant that he would pretend to follow that snake-faced excuse for a man. It was too dangerous!

Harry huffed and turned away. He felt that there was nothing he could say that would change Severus's mind. And vice versa. He just had a bad feeling that all of this was going to end in preventable bloodshed.

"I'll do my best." That was Severus's short response to Harry's plea for his safety.

"O… okay." Harry got up and headed toward his own bed, Nagini following him. The pins-and-needles sensation in his legs rose up again, and he gritted his teeth.

He laid down, contemplating his mixed emotions. He did understand that the Order needed a spy to get inside information on the workings of Voldemort's inner circle. But, he didn't like the danger involved with the perilous job.

Nagini was oddly silent. She usually talked to him when she could, but this morning, she was hushed. "_Are you okay?"_ Harry asked, concerned.

"_Yessss,"_ she answered, but that didn't convince him of anything. However, Harry decided to drop the subject for the time being.

He sighed and shifted around, allowing Nagini to wrap herself around him. "_I'm going to try to catch ssssome ssssleep before Madam Pomfrey sssstartssss harrassssing me."_

"_Okay, Harry. Ssssweet dreamsss."_

HPHPHPHPHPHP

When Harry woke again, it was not Madam Pomfrey standing over him.

It was Remus Lupin.

He was looking guilty, for some odd reason. Then, Harry's brain caught up with his eyes.

_Oh yeah._

Harry remembered Remus asking the dreaded question - _What happened?_ He wasn't likely to have another breakdown, even if the man decided to ask him that question again. He didn't have any hard feelings against him. Honestly, if he were greeted with the startling image of his face, he honestly would have asked the same thing without thinking.

"Hey," Harry said, and that seemed to break the werewolf out of the trace-like state he was in.

"Oh, Harry! I didn't mean to wake you up. I was just coming in here to sit down for a few minutes," he explained hastily.

Harry automatically detected Remus's hesitance. "It's alright, Remus. I don't blame you for what happened a few days ago. I'm pretty sure that was a one-time-scenario. It was the first time I had been asked what had happened, and I really wasn't ready to think about it." He smiled for good measure.

Remus's face almost automatically relaxed. "I'm still sorry, Harry. I never meant to cause you such distress." He sat in a chair he had conjured on the spot.

Harry stretched as well as he could, with a 100-kilogram snake encompassing him. "What time is it?" he asked, yawning.

Remus cast a _tempus_. "It's about 8:30 in the morning." That made sense. It was lighter outside than it was earlier.

Harry sighed. _I think it's about time for me to give an apology of my own,_ he thought. "Remus," he started.

"Yes?" Remus encouraged.

"I'm really sorry."

The werewolf looked confused. "Whatever for?"

Harry took a deep breath. This would be hard to get out. "I want to apologize for my idiotic actions earlier this year. If I hadn't fallen for Voldemort's stupid trick, Sirius would still be alive and I know how much he meant to you-"

Remus broke Harry off with a raised hand. "Harry, stop. I don't blame you for what happened at the Department of Mysteries. If I were in your place, I would have believed the vision You-Know-Who gave you also. And, if I have heard correctly, you have nearly perfected your occlumency skills by now." Harry looked down, valiantly holding back tears. "I'm not saying I don't miss Sirius. I do. We had just reunited, and it nearly killed me when I lost him again."

Harry choked.

Remus shushed him comfortingly, laying a hand on his exposed arm. "Sirius went to fight the Death Eaters on his own volition. No one, not even Severus, forced him to go and risk his life. But, as I like to say, life goes on."

Harry let his tears fall silently. He wasn't about to have a full breakdown in front of Remus again. He took a deep breath, and looked back up. Remus was looking at him, seeming slightly anxious but calm at the same time.

Harry composed himself, wiping at his eyes. He was almost sixteen! He didn't need to be bawling over every little thing!

"So," Remus said, leaning back and taking his hand from Harry's arm. "I can hear that your voice is better!" he said cheerfully, at great juxtaposition to the serious (No pun intended) conversation earlier.

Harry suddenly remembered the odd circumstances that led to his voice being healed in the first place. Really, only Madam Pomfrey and Draco Malfoy had seen his awe-inspiring patronus.

"About that…" Harry went on to tell him the story of what on earth had happened. He still didn't know exactly _what_ had happened, but he did have a wild hunch.

Remus put a hand under his chin and hummed. "Do you think it's because you spoke in parseltongue?"

Harry nodded. "That's my idea. I have yet to try any other spells, because of my circumstances," he nodded to his hospital bed.

"Well, lucky for you, Mr. Potter," a feminine, but sharp voice called over from the other side of the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey had emerged from her office and was heading towards Harry and Remus.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"I mean," she said while waving her wand over him, "if everything goes well today, I am going to release both you and Professor Snape from the infirmary."

Harry had a small mental victory dance. As restful as it was, being in the hospital wing was extremely boring, believe it or not. He grinned up at the mediwitch. "Thank you!"

The woman huffed. "Don't thank me yet, Mr. Potter. With your luck, you'll land yourself back in here by next week."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't hold your breath," he replied.

"I don't think I'll even have to."

When the mediwitch walked away, Harry looked back at Remus. He was smiling at him. "It's great to see that prickly lady warm up to someone," he said.

"Huh?" Harry asked, confused.

"Nothing, Harry." He cast another tempus, and then stood up. "Oh, wow. I have to leave in a few minutes to visit the Weasleys."

"Erm… okay, bye!" Harry didn't ask why Remus needed to see the Weasleys at nine in the morning.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Poppy pulled back the curtains from around Severus's bed. Through the gap in the screen, he got a glimpse of Lupin talking to Harry, as if he hadn't sent the young man into a panic attack a few days earlier.

The mediwitch obstructed his view, however, when he opened his mouth to try to get Lupin's attention. She held a finger to her lips, and just then did Severus notice how secretive the matron looked.

"I have something to tell you," she whispered, casting a _muffilatio_. "And this might change quite a few things." Her voice was back to normal after she had cast the silencing charm.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "What, pray tell, is so important, that you had to wake me?"

Poppy rolled her eyes. "I was wondering if you were curious why the potions that Dursley imbibed worked so well."

Severus looked down. He hadn't thought of that. "Why would a potion work on a muggle? This defies everything we know."

Poppy sighed. "I know. This is unheard of. I was thinking of casting a _revelare meidies_ on him. This would tell us if the boy has any magical powers."

"If he had repressed his abilities, why isn't he an _obscurus_?" To those who don't know, an _obscurus_ is a magical child that had held down his or her magical capabilities out of fear of retribution… or death. They become very powerful, but confused; they are a danger to themselves and those around them. There were many of these poor children when the Salem witch trials were in action over in America.

The mediwitch shrugged minutely. "I don't know. But I _do_ know that those potions worked on that muggle boy. And, once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable-"

"-must be the truth," Severus finished. "This just seems so unlikely. Have you informed the headmaster of this?"

"I have not," Poppy answered. "I was hoping Albus could shed some light on our conundrum."

They stayed in awkward silence for a few seconds. They weren't the most socially at ease. Then, Poppy seemed to remember something. "Ah. I told Mr. Potter that you both could leave the hospital wing if everything seemed okay."

Severus silently rejoiced. He was worried that he'd have to stay for a few more days. Apparently, the matron was feeling sympathetic towards them. It had been days since Harry had even _seen_ anything of Hogwarts outside of the infirmary. "That is most kind of you," he said, nodding.

Poppy sighed. She waved her wand in the awfully familiar pattern of a diagnostic charm over his body. "It looks like you aren't suffering some long-lasting damage from the cruciatus curse from last night. The salve I gave you worked, right?"

Severus nodded. Then, he remembered a conversation that Harry and he had before the whole incident with the battle at Privet Drive. "Poppy, think back to Harry's fourth year. Remember when you took him into the hospital wing after the third task?"

"Yes." How could she forget? She had the infirmary stocked with everything she'd need to treat wounds from blast-ended skrewt burns, to brutal sphynx dismemberment. Then, the unexpected happened. A competitor died, and Harry was brought into her care with bizzare wounds. A savage cut on the crease of his elbow. Bruises galore. The situation had been explained to her, after the fact. It had taken even her a while to wrap her head around the idea that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back. "What about it?"

"Did you think to check for cruciatus damage on his nervous system?"

Poppy's brows creased, and she looked down. Suddenly, her head shot up, eyes wide. "I don't think I did! How could I have overlooked something like that? I didn't know the whole story then, but after I had, I should've examined him!"

"Hmm." Severus looked deep in thought. "I was just wondering if Dark Magic was at work here."

Poppy looked troubled. "If so, I'd like to know. Tell me when you come to a verdict."

"I plan to."

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry watched Madam Pomfrey exit Severus's part of the infirmary.

"So… will I be able to leave?" Harry asked. He fiddled with his blanket, hoping her diagnostic spell hadn't detected his tingling legs. He just figured that it was the new skin that had been grown over the old, damaged, and burnt skin.

The mediwitch sniffed. "Yes. It seems like everything is… okay." It sounded like it pained her to say that.

"What about Severus?"

"He is also available to leave the hospital wing."

Harry grinned. "Thank you!" he exclaimed.

"However," she said while writing on a floating clipboard, "you need to take it easy for a while. You are still recovering from severe trauma to almost all of your systems." She seemed to remember something, if a sudden gleam in her eyes indicated anything. "Also, you will need to start caring for your cousin, Dudley. I have already informed Professor Snape of this development, and he has already approved. He will be arriving down at your quarters later today."

Harry was silent for a few seconds. He remembered all the times Dudley had bullied him incessantly for almost all of his life. Those times when his cousin had gone 'Harry Hunting.' The jeers and teasing he got for almost every aspect of his being. The physical pain.

Then, Harry remembered how Dudley had changed… how he had cleaned his wounds after Vernon had lost his temper. How he had started becoming his own person, instead of a carbon copy of his father.

"Okay. That's fine."

Madam Pomfrey seemed satisfied with his answer. "Wonderful. Well, get a house elf to fetch some clothes for both you and Professor Snape, and you can be off."

Harry nodded, while she went over to Dudley's curtain. "Dobby," he called, tentatively.

There was a _crack_ing sound, and a small figure with huge eyes and ears appeared on the floor next to his bed. The house elf was looking as garish as ever, with his brightly colored socks and clothing.

"Harry Potter sir!" Dobby squeaked. "I is so happy to be seeing you!" He jumped up onto the bed and hugged him tightly. "Why is Harry Potter in the hospital wing?" he asked, looking up at him curiously.

Harry didn't want to lie to the little creature, so he settled with a bit of the truth. "I got into a bit of trouble with Voldemort, but I'm okay now."

Dobby's eyes, to his horror, began to water. "Harry Potter is not deserving such… such _meanness_ from - from You-Know-Who!" he hiccuped. "He-he-he is such a _good person_!"

Harry tried to pry Dobby from his torso, to no effect. "Dobby, I have something for you to do."

The house elf blinked, loosening his arms. "What is Harry Potter wanting?" he asked, sniffing.

"Erm, can you please get Severus and me some clothes so we can leave this place actually in nice attire?" He and Severus were wearing hospital pyjamas, and it would be slightly embarrassing if they were to meet anyone in the hallways wearing that.

Dobby drew himself up and nodded. He snapped his fingers, vanishing. Harry sighed heavily, leaning back. That little elf seemed to leech energy out of him. He picked up his wand and dried the large tear blotch on his shirt.

Not too long after, Dobby returned with a large pile of clothing in his arms. "Here- you go- Harry Potter!" he said, giving him the clothing.

"Thank you, Dobby."

The house elf nodded tearfully, and vanished with another _crack_. Harry stood up and toed his way delicately towards Severus. The tingling sensation really was unpleasant, but not unbearable. He slid the curtains back, and handed the heavy robes to the potions master.

"Here you go," Harry said.

Severus only nodded. Harry retreated back to his bed and pulled the curtains around himself as well, even though there was literally no other person that could see him dress. It was more habit than anything.

Once he got done dressing, he pocketed his wand and emerged with Nagini. Severus was standing by the doors, looking slightly impatient.

They left the infirmary in silence. When they met the stairway leading down to the dungeons, Severus went the opposite direction. Confused, Harry asked where they were going.

"We're going to the headmaster's office. I need to explain something to him, and it would be most beneficial if you were there to hear it as well."

Harry furrowed his brow. What on earth was the man talking about? Was he going to be sent somewhere else?

_Stop being so self-centered. Not everything is about you,_ a nasty voice said in the back of his head. _But what if?_ he replied.

Harry didn't know what to think of Dumbledore. The headmaster was known for being such an intelligent, omniscient being. He found it hard to believe that the wizard hadn't known about his… living conditions. He guessed he still had a bit of resentment left over from the end of last year. He had kept so many secrets from Harry, expecting him to be a quiet little pawn, bending to his every whim.

By that time, they had arrived in front of the gargoyle in front of the headmaster's office. "Cauldron Cakes," he murmured. The creature leapt aside, allowing them to pass.

Once they got to the top of the golden staircase, the door automatically swung open. Harry glanced over at Severus to gauge his reaction. The man looked slightly perplexed, but Harry didn't have time to ask what happened before he was stalking into the seemingly empty office.

Harry glanced around the office, looking for any signs of life. He saw nothing but portraits.

"This is odd," Severus finally said. He was standing in front of the large desk in the middle of the office. Harry nodded, agreeing.

"I wonder where he is," Harry said, sitting down on one of the large chairs.

"I do not know where he is, but I can tell you he was in this room just thirty minutes ago." Severus and Harry's heads swiveled up to look at a portrait on the wall. The subject of the painting looked to be a somewhat sour man that had a sharp beard and moustache. He was wearing robes that were obviously Slytherin, green with silver lining.

"It's rude to stare, you know," the portrait said.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

The man sniffed, rising from his chair in the painting. "My name is Phineas Nigellus Black. I know both of your names, so don't bother with introductions."

Black. His last name was Black. Did that mean-

"Where is the headmaster?" Severus barked, interrupting his thoughts.

The man - Phineas - tsked. "Now, is that any way to speak to your elders?"

Severus opened his mouth, looking positively incensed. Before anything bad could happen, Harry interjected with a "Could you please tell us where the headmaster went?"

Severus turned to him, looking slightly betrayed.

"Aaah, there are some manners. Severus, you ought to know better!" The potions master clenched his jaw in anger, turning back to the portrait. Phineas looked at Harry. "Mr. Potter. How much I've heard of you… oh, I never answered your question, did I?"

Harry shook his head, speechless.

"I saw Dumbledore in this office with this other man… Remus, I think that was what the headmaster called him. They were speaking of a cursed ring, and how they needed to destroy it to get rid of a soul. This was about twenty minutes ago, mind you."

Severus looked just about as confused as Harry felt. Why had Dumbledore left on a potentially dangerous mission without their knowledge? Why was Remus the only one informed? What on earth were they doing?

Then the potions professor's typical mask of dispassion fell back into place. "We shall be waiting for the headmaster's return. Until then, we will be in my quarters." With that, Severus spun on his heel and stalked out of the room.

Harry stood up from his chair and followed him out of the room. He stopped at the door, turned around, and said, "Bye," quietly.

He practically had to jog to keep up with the angry professor. Nagini, to his slight annoyance, had no trouble remaining by their side. He was almost out of breath when they reached the dungeons. Harry was appreciating the sheer _size_ of the castle as they stopped in front of the portrait of Salazar Slytherin.

"Coulbrid," Severus snarled.

Salazar feigned shock as his portrait swung inwards. "Now, Severus! Is that any way to speak to me, your long-lived friend?" The man in question scoffed and strode into the lounge.

"He's kind of in a bad mood," Harry explained to the portrait.

The man puffed himself up. "When is he not?"

Harry chuckled and shook his head. He had no doubt the potions master heard him, since he heard a "You'll regret saying that later!" coming from deeper inside his quarters.

He walked inside, waiting for Nagini, who had struck up a positively scintillating conversation with Slytherin about various snake venoms. Harry decided to leave them to it and to go find Severus. He had to tell him about his odd spells, and possibly practice more. He glanced around each room (excluding Severus's bedroom, of course. He didn't feel like being pickled in one of the man's potions jars.) He found a staircase he hadn't noticed before.

He tiptoed down the stairs, feeling like he wasn't supposed to be there. He was greeted by a wooden door at the bottom. Harry, scrounging up all of his supposed Gryffindor bravery, pushed it open. Sure enough, he saw Severus standing over a bubbling cauldron.

The room was surprisingly well-lit, with numerous cauldron stands scattered around a large table in the middle. The walls were _lined_ with potions ingredients, some still alive, it seemed. One corner was solely for a stack of various sized cauldrons of various substances. Some were standard pewter, some were solid gold, others were stone.

As if Harry had burst into the room with great fanfare, the potions master spun around, seeming surprised. Then, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly when he saw who it was. He turned around to continue his vigil over the potion.

Harry, taking this as a good sign, advanced further into the room to stand next to Severus. "What are you brewing?" he asked quietly.

"Between the two of us, we go through the cruiciatis salve rather quickly," he responded just as quietly.

Harry hummed. Silence. "Er… once you get to a stopping point in your brewing, I need to show you something."

Severus grabbed something off the table next to him and carefully added it to the potion. "Of what import is it? If it is a matter of life-or-death, or something similar, I could cast a stasis spell over this potion right now. If not, wait a few moments for me to get to a point where it needs to sit for a few hours."

"It's… not _that_ important, I guess."

Severus nodded, and was quiet for a few seconds. "The next chance you get to look at a mirror or any other reflective surface, I suggest you take it."

Harry furrowed his brow, scared to ask him what he meant. He had actually been _avoiding_ mirrors, for obvious reasons. He wondered if his angry, inflamed, red wounds were any worse. He had also avoided looking at his missing limbs, preferring to keep a bandage over where it was worst.

In almost no time at all, Severus was done with the first stage of the potion. He set down his ladle on an indentation in the table, and turned towards him. "What was it you needed to show me?" he asked cordially.

Harry _erm_ed again. He wasn't exactly sure how to explain the particular phenomenon of his spellwork, so he just said, "We might need a bit more open space."

Without questioning him, Severus followed him to the lounge, where Nagini was curled up on the couch, waiting.

Harry stood up on his toes, feeling anxious for no reason. Severus made a 'go on' gesture, and Harry slid his wand from his pocket. Nagini nodded at him encouragingly, seeming to know exactly what was going on.

"You might want to close your eyes," was the only warning he gave before glancing at Nagini and shouting, "_Exsssspecto Patronum!"_ in parseltongue.

Once again, the blinding, searing light tore through the room. Harry felt his skin tighten up with the _heat_ the light was putting out. After about thirty seconds, it became safe to look at the creature that had emerged from the tip of Harry's wand.

Harry peered through his fingers at Severus. The man looked gobsmacked, an expression that was to be reveled in. He had to choke back a laugh at his face, which looked very comical.

Severus seemed to find his voice. "What… what is this?" He tore his eyes from the devastatingly beautiful creature to look at Harry.

"Erm… It's my patronus." Severus looked even more confused, if that were possible. "What I mean is… I just said '_expecto patronum_' in parseltongue."

Severus got over his shock and composed his expression. He walked over to examine the stag, looking a bit reverent. "I see. What your trying to tell me is that when you cast a patronus spell, it comes out like this?" He stretched out a hand slowly, touching the animal's snout.

"Yeah. I don't know if this works for any other spells. It also heals wounds. I tried casting this in the hospital wing, and he healed my voice."

Severus hummed, looking at Harry. "He healed more than just your voice."

Harry suddenly remembered his command to look into a mirror. Suddenly excited, he raced from the room and burst into his room and into his bathroom. He skidded to a stop in front of the mirror, and sucked in a breath.

Well, his face didn't look like he wished it would. He still had the faint, white lines 'decorating' his cheeks, chin, and nose. He reached up and untied the bandage covering the burn on his forehead, and saw that it was basically normal, with the scar and faint white lines.

Harry guessed it was too much to hope for to have no scars left. Nagini had said the knife that Bellatrix had used was cursed, and was used to make irreversible marks.

By then, Severus had entered the room to lean on the doorframe. Right behind him, Harry was surprised to see his patronus and Nagini. The expression on the stag's face seemed… apologetic. Sad that he couldn't completely heal Harry.

"It's alright," Harry whispered. "It's not your fault."


	14. Visit

The patronus shook its head sadly. How a patronus could experience any emotion other than pure joy was beyond Harry, but he just guessed that this stag was unique.

"I am truly sorry that your scars haven't completely vanished." Severus was still standing by the door.

Harry shrugged. "I really didn't expect them to be gone. I'm just happy that they aren't red and angry anymore. And, I haven't had to take a pain potion, either!"

He turned away from the mirror and touched the stag's nose. "I really don't blame you. You did all you could." The majestic creature nodded its head, and vanished.

Harry, not surprised, turned back to Severus. "So. What are your thoughts on this?" he asked.

Severus started to walk back to the living room, Harry following him. "I am not certain what the range of this parseltongue magic is. There are a few books on that topic, now that I think about it, but the few books that exist are _very_ rare."

"So… what you're saying is that that what we know will be through trial and error?"

"Essentially."

Harry sighed. That would be very tedious, seeing what _every individual spell_ was like in parseltongue.

"Where will we do that?"

"I am making arrangements."

HPHPHPHPHPHP

The next morning, Madam Pomfrey was leading Dudley down the staircase leading to Severus's quarters. The boy was oddly quiet. The matron guessed it was because of the sheer intimidation of the dark and forbidding hallways along the way.

She remembered the first few times she had treated the large boy. He had seemed extremely wary of her, shifting around quite a few times. But, when it became obvious she meant no harm, he had warmed up to her right away. She figured Dudley was uncomfortable with change of any kind.

Soon enough, they had arrived in front of Salazar Slytherin's portrait. Poppy really liked the old man - his acerbic wit and sarcasm agreed well with her. She ought to visit more often.

Severus had given her the password to his rooms earlier. "Coulbrid," she said, smiling.

"Ah, Poppy! Long time, no see! And who is this young man, here?" He peered down at Dudley, who looked slightly terrified to see the stern-looking wizard scrutinizing him so closely.

"This is Harry Potter's cousin, Dudley Dursley," she said, gesturing her arm.

"Hm. Can you speak parseltongue, also?" he asked, leaning so far, it seemed like he would pop out of his painting.

Dudley shook his head, almost petrified.

"Oh. Well, that's a shame. It's always better to have more parselmouths around."

"S-sir, I'm n-not even a… a w-wizard," Dudley stuttered. He looked horrified that he had even opened his mouth a split second later, snapping it shut with an audible _click_ and with shuddering of his grossly huge jowls.

Salazar raised an eyebrow, obviously contemplating how Dudley got into the castle in the first place. "Well, then. That's very peculiar." He opened his portrait, seeming to snap out of his thoughtful reverie. "Enjoy your time with the grumpy old man inside!" Salazar projected his voice, no doubt being heard throughout Severus's entire quarters.

There was movement at the far end of the room. "I may be grumpy, but I am far from being an old man." Severus Snape had proceeded from a couch to where they were standing. He looked down his nose at Dudley. "Dursley," he said in a smooth voice. "We have been expecting you."

Poppy huffed. "Honestly, Severus, you're scaring the poor boy." She laid a hand on Dudley's shoulder. "As I said earlier, you will be staying here for the foreseeable future. Best to make yourself at home."

Severus sniffed. "Awfully pretentious of yourself to be telling someone to make themselves at home, _in someone else's quarters_."

"Oh, don't give me that. I've healed so many of your wounds over the years, sometimes _in this very room_, that I believe I have earned the right to invite others into your home."

Dudley, in the meantime, was watching the playful banter like a tennis match (Muggle sport, it's very interesting). Harry, a few seconds earlier, had walked into the room from a dark hallway. He looked slightly amused, used to both of their sharp tongues.

Harry ambled over to Dudley, who was so frightened he was unable to move. He patted the boy on the shoulder, causing the muggle to nearly jump out of his skin.

Harry chuckled, amused at his usually brash cousin. It was different, to say the least, to see him so out of his depth. "It's alright. They don't have anything against each other, really. It's their form of 'fun.'"

He grinned as they both turned halfhearted glares at him. "Where will Dudley be staying?"

Severus turned to them completely, disregarding Madam Pomfrey completely. "For the time being, your cousin will reside in your room. I will conjure up a bed for him, later."

At that, Harry led Dudley to the hallway leading to his room. "Did you bring any clothes or any other possessions, with you?" he asked as they walked through the door. (Not at the same time, mind. Dudley had considerable girth.)

He shook his head and cleared his throat. "No, it all got destroyed in the fire that burned down our house." Dudley shook himself, clearly trying to gain his wits back. Harry sympathized with him. It must be hard for him, trying to get used to something he was taught to fear from a very young age. Not to mention, his latest encounter with magic had been extremely traumatizing. "Madam Pomfrey has been putting these 'cleaning ch-charms' on my clothes."

"Well, I suspect we'll be needing to get you some robes soon."

HPHPHPHPHP

_Finally,_ Severus thought as the infernal woman left. _Peace_. He really didn't dislike the matron, but she grated on his nerves at times. He didn't have time for foolishness at the time. He was making plans.

You see, Severus's quarters weren't his only abode. He had also inherited a house from his mother, Eileen Snape, when the man had died. It wasn't just a house, however.

It was Prince Manor, known as the Haven.

He actually had never lived in that house when he was a child. His father, Tobias, had forced both him and his mother onto the little house on Spinner's End. He was a very proud man, not wanting to accept the automatic luxury his wife had provided.

It still bewildered him why his mother had even wanted to marry the Muggle. He supposed his mother was having a bout of free-spiritedness, wanting to rebel against her family. If he had heard stories right, Eileen's parents had wanted her to marry a respectable pureblood that she didn't truly love. However, it never seemed like she loved Tobias, either.

But, what did Severus know about love?

_Ah,_ his subconscious spoke. _I suspect you know a lot about love. More than you think you do._ Yes, he did. He had loved Lily, in years past. But, it was a desperate, fleeting kind of love - one that would not be substantial unless he had actually started something with her.

Hm.

He waited a few seconds to give his subconscious a chance to speak up. When he heard nothing, he resumed thinking about the Haven. He was planning to go there for the rest of the summer. There would be plenty of room there for Harry to experiment with his charms. He usually stayed in his quarters year-round, but he couldn't help but think that Harry would get incredibly bored if he had to stay in Hogwarts all day, every day, even if he had visiting friends. He didn't even bring Dudley into mind. If that overgrown whale of a boy was _just _bored, he'd be having a _good_ day.

Severus's fierce protectiveness of Harry startled him, as it always did. It infuriated him that Harry had been mistreated so as a child, and onto his teenage life. Concerning that, he, or someone else, needed to talk to him about what had gone on inside Number 4 Privet Drive's walls.

It might have seemed like a moot point by then, but Severus believed differently. Abuse was a hard thing to get over (if you even did get over it), no matter the hardships you have faced since the actual maltreatment.

He sighed, and went to the fireplace to tell the house elves at the Haven to get ready for three inhabitants.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Back in the Burrow, things were chaotic.

"Herminone, dear, have you seen a pot with a slight dent in the side?" Molly Weasley said. When she shook her head, Mrs. Weasley just gritted her teeth and shouted, "_Accio pot!_" and the object in question came flying toward her, breaking a few things in the process. "I was hoping to avoid that," she sighed, raising her wand again to cast a few _reparo_s.

Ron was stuffing a piece of toast in his mouth, while pulling a jumper over his head. (A/N: if you're confused as to why Hermione's in the Burrow, I mentioned earlier that she would be staying with the Weasleys for the rest of the summer.)

They had gotten a message from Dumbledore earlier that week that Ron and Hermione were able to visit Harry at Hogwarts. Both were feeling slightly excited, but apprehensive. Ron, because he was slightly concerned about the presence of Snape, Hermione because she had heard stories about Harry's appearance (and she was just as worried about Snape as Ron was).

Eventually, they finished their breakfast and stepped into the waiting fireplace. One at a time, they flooed over through Snape's quarter's fireplace. Hermione glanced around the room, taking in the reclusive professor's living space, until they saw Harry amble through the hall, Snape nowhere in sight.

Hermione automatically thought that Ron had been exaggerating about the condition of Harry's health. From where she was, he looked perfectly fine. A tad bit pale, but overall, normal!

But, as she rushed closer to hug him, she noticed the strangely beautiful lines covering his face. When he wrapped his arms around her, she noticed the vacancy of one finger. She had been expecting all of this, but it was a very different thing seeing it in person.

She felt Harry tense under her, and she pulled away quickly. She only got one more glimpse of his face before he turned away from her and stepped back with an embarrassed frown, putting his hands behind his back.

"Harry, don't be like this. I won't treat you any differently than I did before this summer. If I did, what kind of friend would I be?" She put her hands on her hips.

He peeked at her from under his fringe and chuckled once. "I can't help but be a bit self-conscious."

"I don't care. If I'll be acting normally, you will too."

Harry looked up some more. "Bossy as ever, I see."

"Absolutely - and I always will be."

Ron cleared his throat. "Good to hear - now can we please sit down on the couch waiting for us?" he interjected, impatient.

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, shaking their heads humorously. They sat down, stretching out as best they could.

"So… fill me in on your summers." Harry truly was interested.

Ron answered first. "Well, my summer was boring, for the most part. Annoying brothers, a nosy sister, and all that. It's been great now that Hermione's over, though!"

Harry wondered if they had figured out how hard they had fallen for each other. With how recalcitrant both of them could be, probably not. "That's great!" He looked down, and chuckled. "For the most part, I've had an okay summer."

Both of them looked shocked, though Hermione was a bit more subtle with it than Ron. "Er… what do you mean?" Ron said, looking slightly pale.

Harry immediately realized that they had thought of the torture he had gone through. Now that he thought of it, they didn't know the reason he had come to live at Hogwarts in the first place. They didn't know exactly what had gone on inside of the Dursleys' house. They probably didn't even know that Dudley was there, either.

"Ron, you know he didn't mean… what I'm trying to say is…" Hermione fiddled with a cushion as she grasped for words.

Harry smiled. "You don't need to walk on eggshells around me. I'm not made of spun glass, you know?" That seemed to make both of them relax. Harry threw one arm behind him, shifting to make himself more comfortable. "What I mean is, it's been great staying here inside the castle."

Ron wrinkled his nose. "With Snape?"

Harry frowned, strangely irritated with his friend. "Like I said the last time you visited, he's been decent to me. He healed me when…" he cut off. He hadn't intended to even tell them about the condition he had been found in when Severus had marched himself into Number 4 Privet Drive. His wounds from Vernon had vanished without trace, though, thanks to the mystical stag.

Ron looked stunned, and slightly angry himself. He had obviously missed Harry's little slip-up, thankfully. Hermione, on the other hand, looked pensive. She was staring at him, as if she was trying to divine what was going on inside Harry's head. Not for the first time, Harry was fervently glad the young woman didn't know how to use legilimency. If she did, he didn't know if he'd be able to keep anything from her, even with his advanced occlumency shields.

To change the subject, he started talking about quidditch. About how the Chudley Cannons were doing that year. However, Hermione kept that thoughtful, brooding look on her face. He didn't want to think of where her mind was going. Well, he'd help close that can of worms when she (inevitably) opened it.

Sooner than they would have liked, it was time for them to leave. They got notified of this when Mr. Weasley's head poked out of the fireplace and told them that it was time for lunch. "Unless Harry wants to come with us, of course?" he added. "Professor Snape has already approved of it if you were to come."

Harry shook his head. He didn't feel like showing his face and his conspicuously bandaged hand to the rest of the Weasleys.

"It's alright, mate," Ron said. "We understand."

"Yeah," Hermione said. "I'm sure the rest of the Weasleys will too."

Ron flooed away after Mr. Weasley's head had vanished, leaving him and Hermione alone in the lounge.

"You will be explaining why you stopped yourself from saying something, later." She looked dead serious.

"Explaining what?" Harry asked feebly.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, so don't give me that."

Harry sighed, and looked down to his feet. He was wearing shoes to hide the fact that he was missing a toe. Hermione patted him on the shoulder. "Whatever it is, remember we'll always be on your side." He looked up and raised an eyebrow that was reminiscent of Snape. Hermione flushed. "Well, I don't know about _Ron_. He can be a bit of a loose cannon at times. But, he'd come around eventually, if you did manage to offend him."

Harry chuckled. "You'd better go over to the Burrow, before the Weasleys send a search party after you," he quipped.

She grimaced. "You're probably right. Bye, Harry!" A few seconds later, she shouted, "The Burrow!" and vanished.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus had been adding the final touch to the new batch of cruiciatis salve when Harry walked through the door to the potions lab. He wasn't too surprised that he hadn't taken up the Weasleys' offer for lunch. _He_ would feel especially antisocial if his appearance had changed that drastically in such a short period of time.

"How was the brief visit with your friends?" he asked.

Harry grinned. "It was great!" He sidled up to the side of the potions master. "Although, Hermione did have to tell me off for being shy, at first."

Severus grunted. "Miss Granger is an intelligent young lady."

Harry feigned shock, putting a hand over his heart. "The bat of the dungeons, complimenting a Gryffindor? What has this world come to?"

"Hmf. Silence. If you'd like to be helpful, you could assist me in putting this new batch of salve into vials."

He chuckled, and set to work as Severus started to put the supplies and ingredients away. Severus wondered when he should tell Harry that they weren't going to stay inside his quarters for much longer. He figured he should tell him now, so he could have time to pack his belongings.

Severus opened his mouth to inform him of his latest plan, but he was interrupted by a cacophony of footsteps rushing down the stairs. Spinning around, he was met by the puce face of a panting Dudley. "What is it, boy?" he asked.

"M-Madam Pom-frey *huff* needs you," he gasped, kneeling down to rest his hands on his knees. It was obvious he was _seriously_ out of shape.

Severus rushed up the staircase, not looking forward to seeing the matron, and so close to lunchtime. Once he got to the lounge, he looked around, expecting to see the witch. When he didn't automatically see her, he cast his attention to the fireplace, sure enough, Poppy's face was in the fire.

The mediwitch spoke rapidly. "We have an emergency up here! I need your help, and we don't have the time for you to walk the way up. Use the floo!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Severus saw Harry peeking past the doorway, obviously curious. Without hesitation, he grabbed a handful of the gray powder on the tall mantel, stepped inside the fireplace, and transported himself to the hospital wing.

The scene he saw in front of him gave him pause for a split second. Poppy, Narcissa Malfoy, and Lucius Malfoy were huddled around one bed, murmuring frantically to one another.

Severus sped forward, concerned. Who he saw on the bed made him gasp in shock and horror.

Albus Dumbledore.

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

_I'm super sorry I haven't been updating that much lately! I've been experiencing a bit of writer's block, not to mention my little problem with syntax. Well, now I think I've gotten over my little bout of in-creativity... hopefully._

_Thanks for sticking with me!_


	15. Cursed Ring

_Previously..._

_The scene he saw in front of him gave him pause for a split second. Poppy, Narcissa Malfoy, and Lucius Malfoy were huddled around one bed, murmuring frantically to one another._

_Severus sped forward, concerned. Who he saw on the bed made him gasp in shock and horror._

_Albus Dumbledore._

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus's eyes were automatically drawn to the blackened and shrivelled hand that the headmaster was sporting. The wizard was looking very pale and even more gaunt than usual.

He quickly asked Madam Pomfrey what on earth had happened. They both stepped back as Lucius Malfoy started waving his wand over the headmaster, muttering an incantation under his breath.

"I'm not exactly sure what happened. He just appeared outside the wards of the castle, and Remus Lupin was with him. Lupin ran up to the infirmary, levitating him. We haven't had time to question him, but he's in my office right now. All _I_ know is that Albus had an unfamiliar ring on the hand that was damaged."

Severus hummed, and joined Lucius in the incantation. He knew this incantation because he had used it before on himself and others. It was a thorough spell that let the caster know if there were any curses or Dark magics acting upon the victim. However, this wasn't a spell that was used often. It was seen as Dark itself because of how invasive it was. The headmaster wouldn't feel the effects of the spell, since he was unconscious.

About thirty seconds later, they saw the result of the incantation. Obviously, his hand was cursed to the bone. But, that wasn't the only problem - the curse was spreading. Frantically, Severus forced the headmaster's eyes open. He didn't usually use this kind of remedy on people other than himself often, but it was _very_ necessary.

Using wordless, wandless legilimency, he dove into the wizard's mind. Now that the man was unconscious, accessing his inner being was very easy. Severus went along the outskirts of his mind, searching for the dark growth he knew would be there. Sure enough, he found a rapidly expanding thatch of dark, oily, vines.

Knowing what to do, he grabbed the walls of the headmaster's partially fallen occlumency shields and wrapped them firmly around the throbbing mass. Once he was certain the curse had been properly contained, he exited the mind.

He sighed as he re-entered his body. It wasn't perfect - he had read of this type of curse before. It was made to have the entire victim rot - and it had no counter. So, Severus had done the best he could with what he had. This would not stop the dark vines forever, though. Eventually, maybe in a year or two, the headmaster would have a face-to-face meeting with Death.

"The curse has been interrupted," he said, giving them the good news first. All three people in the room slumped over with relief. "However," everyone looked up, "it will not stay that way forever. Ultimately, this curse will kill him."

Madam Pomfrey covered her face with her hands. Narcissa's eyes clouded with tears, and Lucius looked down. Severus carefully blocked his emotions from showing. If he broke down now, then he'd be useless for the rest of the afternoon.

As everyone wallowed in their grief, Severus glanced outside. The sun was shining brightly. It was a pleasant day. If the headmaster had not been deathly ill, it might have satisfied him to see such weather. Though, now, he felt empty.

Hollow.

He thought over the past few years, trying to detect where this sense of pointlessness came from. A memory surfaced to the front of his mind:

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

_Severus Snape dashed up one of the vacant staircases of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was the middle of the night, and his left arm twinged as a reminder of where he was before. He never thought he'd ever end up back in this castle, where so many memories were made… both good and bad._

_Severus had come in search of Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster. He never really had interacted with the wizard before. The wizard had quite the reputation of being… eccentric, to say the least. No matter the man's repute, he had to speak with him._

_Severus had made a colossal mistake, and he had hopes of being able to rectify it before things were too late._

_Severus arrived in front of the headmaster's office, slightly winded. He really needed to get into shape. He stared at the stone gargoyle in front of the passageway he just _knew _to be the way into his quarters. He had seen professors go into that room before._

_He just didn't know the password._

_Severus might have paced outside that door for a solid hour, if Professor Mcgonagall hadn't been patrolling around the same time._

_Her eyes narrowed under her oval glasses. "Mr. Snape. What are you doing back at the castle?"_

_Mcgonagall had never really liked him, nor any other Slytherin. "I need to speak to the headmaster," Severus replied, trying not to fidget under her gaze. Somehow, even after an entire year, the transfiguration professor made him feel as if he were a disobedient first year caught out in the halls._

_The witch humfed, and after giving him one last suspicious glance, spoke the password to the creature. The gargoyle leapt to the side, allowing them passage into a golden eagle's embrace._

_Before he stepped inside, he wondered how he could tell Mcgonagall to go away. He decided to take on a polite tone as he said, "I would appreciate it if I saw the headmaster alone. The matter I will be speaking to him about is rather private."_

_The professor nodded her head, saying, "I understand." She turned away, and headed in the other direction. Wow. That was easier than he thought it would be._

_He stepped inside the eagle's hold, and he ascended slowly. Eventually, he arrived in front of a door. A door Severus presumed to lead to the headmaster's office. _

_He slowly pushed open the door, feeling a slight sense of unexplainable trepidation. He was about to bare his soul to the man behind that door, and he didn't know exactly how he would be received. _

_Sure enough, a wizened old man with garish robes was sitting behind a desk in the middle of a room with multitudes of magical devices floating around and sitting on tables._

"_Why, Mr. Snape. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Dumbledore said, setting down a quill and crossing his fingers._

_Severus treaded carefully further into the room. "Headmaster, I have made a most grievous error."_

_He proceeded to tell Dumbledore about his fidelity to the Dark Lord. He poured out his heart for the first time in forever about how he had eavesdropped on the headmaster and that Trelawny woman. How he had told the Dark Lord everything he had heard, and now he was after the Potters. In particular, Lily._

_By the end of his confession, rebellious tears were shining in his eyes, and the twinkle the headmaster was so famous for had almost vanished. The man sat forward, looking very serious. "Thank you for this information, Mr. Snape. Due to this admission, I am assuming that you are wishing to… shift your allegiances."_

_Severus took in a deep breath and nodded. He blinked back the burn from his eyes, and said, "I take it you do not trust me quite yet, and I do not blame you for that. But please, _please_, believe me on this. Lily's life hangs in the balance. I have pleaded the Dark Lord to spare her, but I think he is too far gone to care." Severus never thought he'd be begging not one, but multiple people for any reason, so this threw him off._

_The headmaster's eyes narrowed. "Very well. I will warn the Potters, and perhaps take measures to protect them."_

_Severus clenched his jaw. "That is all I ask of you." _

_He spun on his heel to walk out the door, when Dumbledore stopped him with a "Severus." The wizard had never before addressed him by his first name, so this was a novelty. The famous mischievous twinkle was back in the headmaster's eye as he said his next words. "Professor Slughorn is thinking of retiring at the end of this semester. Could you take into consideration, perhaps, taking the post of potions professor?"_

_Of all the things for Dumbledore to say, that was the last on the list of things Severus was expecting. Not wanting to give a straight answer, in case the offer was only in jest, he repeated, "Perhaps."_

_Mere months later, he had been accepted into Hogwarts as the new potions professor - mere days before the Potters had been murdered. Mere days before Severus had dedicated himself to his duties as a spy._

HPHPHPHPHPHP

This little trip down memory lane helped Severus identify the empty feeling he had. Albus Dumbledore had been the first person to truly offer him a life worth living.

And here he was, dying.

The headmaster still had time to live, but not long. Severus was going to try his hardest to change this.

"Poppy, where is the ring the headmaster deemed necessary to put on? And bring the werewolf out, too. I think we all need an explanation."

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry was on the couch, stroking Nagini's head, when the portrait door opened. Expecting to see Severus walk through the passage, he turned his head to utter a greeting and a question about what on earth had happened.

His words fell flat as he recognized the person walking through the door.

The last time he had seen this lady was at the quidditch world cup. Then, she had seemed quite sour and discontented. The woman that he was seeing now didn't look unhappy now. In fact, a neutral expression looked better on the blond.

Narcissa Malfoy nodded at Salazar Slytherin as she stepped into the room. She spotted Harry sitting on the couch with the huge serpent coiled around him.

He would have jumped up with his wand raised if Nagini weren't coiled around him, weighing him down. After all, a ten meter snake was _very_ heavy.

"Mr. Potter," Narcissa said. "It truly does me well to see you conscious and healthy."

Not expecting this, Harry stopped thinking of ways to defend himself from imminent death. He still couldn't quite believe that the Malfoys, of all people, had saved his life. Harry settled with asking her, "What are you doing down here?"

Narcissa chuckled, of all things. "Harry - is it okay if I call you Harry?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Severus is held up at the infirmary with Lucius. They both are the best with Dark curses and how to reverse them." His shocked expression must have shown on his face, for she followed with, "Someone got hurt with a spell, and those two were the best qualified for helping them."

Harry had an inkling of who it was, and that sent a finger of dread trailing down his spine. Dudley poked his head out of the hallway, and started saying, "Is the professor back-" before he noticed Narcissa standing by the portrait. He made an "eep" sound before ducking back into the darkness.

Once Dudley had vanished, Harry looked back to Narcissa, whose eyes were slightly narrowed. "You still haven't told me why you're down here." Harry didn't mean to be rude, but he was still wary of this woman. She, in Harry's mind, was still closely associated with Death Eaters and Voldemort.

Narcissa didn't even look fazed. "Why, I came down to keep you company." She sat down on a chair, and cracked open a book Harry didn't notice she had.

Since he didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, Harry looked down at Nagini. She was sound asleep, so she obviously didn't hear the witch walk into the room. Harry allowed his body to relax, but he made an inventory of what he had on him. He had his wand in his pocket, and that was basically it.

He decided the best way to deal with this situation was to talk. "Erm… where's Mal- er, Draco? Why isn't he with you?"

She hummed. "He said he didn't want to spend time with 'Potter.'" She made air quotations. "He was truly offended when you sent him away, the other day." Harry found it hard to believe that Malfoy could care what he thought. He really was rude.

"I wouldn't want to spend time with him, either. We don't get along at all." Narcissa nodded, looking a bit sad.

"Whenever someone brings you up in a conversation, he always gets angry. 'Potter' this and 'Potter' that. He never explained what in Salazar's name happened between you two. Why do you hate each other so?"

Harry leaned back. He deliberated for a second about whether or not he should tell her about the falling-out between him and Malfoy at the beginning of first year. Well, why not?

"Well, he tried to make friends with me back in first year. I rejected that friendship, because he seemed so pompous and '_better-than-you.'_" Harry shrugged.

Narcissa sighed. "When Draco meets people he's intimidated by, he puts on a mask of self-importance," she explained.

Harry remembered how shrimpy and scrawny he was when he was eleven. Heavens, he was still small for his age. Had Malfoy really been afraid of him? Well, there was the story of the 'Boy-Who-Lived' going around. And when Harry had rejected Malfoy's handshake at the beginning of the term, who knew how badly that reflected on him and his family.

"I find it hard to believe that he found me 'intimidating,'" Harry eventually replied.

Narcissa sniffed, turning a page in her book. "I can read my son well, Harry. He was frightened of meeting you." She chuckled. "After all, you had defeated the greatest Dark wizard since Grindelwald. Children have been told bedtime stories of you since that night on October thirty-first."

Harry blushed. He tried not to think of his fame too much, since it always made him feel very awkward and underqualified. He couldn't even stand up to his uncle - what made people think that he must be the one to finish The Forsaken One off for good?

HPHPHPHPHPHP

After a while of slightly awkward silence, Harry reached over Nagini to grab a sheet of paper and a pencil. It had been a few days since he had last drawn a picture, and he felt as if he needed to practice. He placed the paper down upon the surface of the table beside the couch.

Conscious of Narcissa's eyes upon him, he set a shaky line down on the paper. Harry spent the next several minutes sketching a rough picture of Fawkes from memory. By the time he was finished, he had almost completely forgotten that he had an audience. He held the paper up with one hand, surveying what he had done. _Not bad,_ he thought.

"May I see?" Narcissa asked, making Harry jump. He was still slightly insecure about the quality of his artwork, but he didn't see the harm in showing her. It was obvious she didn't mean any harm.

Harry slowly handed it to her, trying not to disturb Nagini - who was still partially wrapped around him.

He refused to admit later that he was inexplicably nervous when she surveyed his artwork. Harry, tense, jumped when Narcissa finally spoke.

"Harry… this is incredibly realistic. When did you start drawing?" she said, looking up curiously.

He squirmed, slightly uncomfortable. "Erm… a few days ago," he answered.

The regal witch's eyes widened. "Really? From the quality of this work, I would have said at _least _a year or two." She seemed to notice Harry's discomfort, and handed the paper back to him.

"Thanks," he murmured.

_**HPHPHPHPHPHP**_

_Hello, readers! I'm sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual. It's second nine weeks of school, not to mention I've been battling with a rather brutal case of sinus infection. I try to make my chapters at least three thousand words long, but I didn't want to keep you waiting._

_Thanks!_


	16. Hogsmeade

_Previously..._

_"__Harry… this is incredibly realistic. When did you start drawing?" she said, looking up curiously. _

_He squirmed, slightly uncomfortable. "Erm… a few days ago," he answered._

_The regal witch's eyes widened. "Really? From the quality of this work, I would have said at least a year or two." She seemed to notice Harry's discomfort, and handed the paper back to him._

_"__Thanks," he murmured._

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus leaned back, breathing out slowly. He had been brewing an intricate potion that may or may not buy the headmaster more time. He had used the brewing equipment and supplies that were in his classroom. They were closer to the infirmary than the ones in his quarters, and he also didn't want to waste time answering the questions he'd be bombarded with.

He had made the most complicated curse repelling potion he knew of - and that was saying something. It had taken him hours to complete, since lunchtime, and it was nine in the evening. Remus Lupin hadn't divulged any information about what in Merlin's name they had been doing, but Severus had a hunch.

He wondered if Harry had gotten one of the house elves to send him and his company dinner. Narcissa, at least, would have had the sense to do that. Severus chuckled darkly when he thought of Harry's reaction to the witch sashaying her way into his quarters. She had asked if she could spend some time with the young man, and Severus had gladly given her the password, out of spiteful humour.

Severus summoned a ladle out from one of the cabinets into his waiting palm. He steadily poured the potion into bottles for many dosages. The headmaster would have to take this once a day, to help his mind battle the curse for a bit longer. _(A/N: Do you notice how Severus never calls Albus by his first or last name? Think about that…)_

If his prediction was correct, the headmaster would last for about a year. Maybe two, if he's lucky. Severus hoped that the Dark Lord would be defeated by then, but he knew that was a desperate hope.

Corking the last bottle, he finally let himself relax. There was no reason to worry about the far future just yet. It would be best for himself and everyone else if he lived in the moment.

And, with his custody of Harry, it might just be worth it.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Lucius Malfoy grasped his left arm in a vice grip, gritting his teeth. He was in the vacant lounge of his and his family's quarters, sitting tensely on the couch. His wife was down in the dungeons supervising the Boy-Who-Lived, claiming that the only way they would be truly be accepted into the Light side was to make ties with people. Draco was down in the common room, preferring to stay in the comforting familiarity of Slytherin during the day. Lucius didn't blame him.

The throbbing _pain_ of the Mark on his forearm had been getting worse and worse, but it wasn't unbearable. The medium-grade pain-relieving potion he had been taking for the last few days had slowly stopped being effective. He didn't want to be a bother to Severus or Poppy Pomfrey, since they already had so much on their plate. Between housing the Golden Boy and brewing for a deathly ill headmaster, the potions master obviously didn't have time to spare. Poppy, on the other hand, had to be constantly on call for both Dumbledore and Potter.

So, everything considered, his minute pain wasn't that important. He could take whatever the Dark Lord threw at him, by himself. Maybe pride had a lot to do with this mindset, but he didn't care. He'd be able to stomach the ache, as long as it didn't get any more severe. But, the way things seemed to be going, there wasn't much chance for that.

Lucius just had to hope the Dark Lord wasn't intent on killing him.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry tapped his foot on the cold, stone, dungeon floors, Nagini twirled around both the table legs and his own. He was slowly drinking his glass of pumpkin juice as he watched the scene unfold between Lady Malfoy and Dudley.

Earlier, Narcissa had abruptly announced that it was about time for them to have dinner, so she had called in food from the kitchens. Dudley, smelling the food, timidly walked out of their room and into the dining room. He was automatically met with a scathing glare from the witch, for reasons still unknown.

Now, after dinner was finished, they were still sitting at the table, silent. Narcissa was still staring hostilely at Dudley, who was looking at his lap.

Harry finally had enough. "What's wrong with you two?" he asked, not too kindly.

Narcissa sniffed, seeming to have expected this outburst from him. "This _boy_ has tormented you since the day you came into his home. I have seen the medical reports, and I have heard stories from Dumbledore." Dudley gave a slight whimper, and Lady Malfoy scowled at him again.

Harry felt a pang in his heart that Dumbledore would tell Narcissa that, but he ignored this for the time being. "That's all settled now. He was just ignorantly following in his parents' footsteps. He started acting like a decent human being a few days I left for Hogwarts. He's changed, really."

Narcissa still looked aprehensive, but less incenced. Harry counted that as a win, in his book.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus walked down the stairs to go deep into the dungeons, where his quarters were. All of a sudden, his body felt _cold._ _Very_ cold. He shivered, casting a warming charm over his clothes. As his body's muscles relaxed, he pondered what could have caused that small cold spell. There were rarely drafts in the dungeons, and Severus thought he had acclimated to the frigid temperature, after all of these years.

Brushing it off as an anomaly, he stepped in front of the door to his quarters. He wondered what carnage he would see inside. The Malfoy family had a long history with Harry, and Severus was certain it would take a while for them to get accustomed to one another.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Slytherin snarked.

Severus growled. That infuriating portrait. "Coulbrid," he sighed, frowning.

His scowl quickly morphed into an expression of shock when he saw the picture in front of him. Narcissa was lounging on his couch with Harry and Nagini, looking perfectly amicable. Dudley, for his safety, was nowhere in sight. They both were having a conversation that involved the best candy that Honeydukes had to offer. Apparently, Harry was under the impression that sugar quills were the invention of the century, while Narcissa insisted that the pepper imps were exquisite. Nagini was watching them intently.

Severus cleared his throat, alerting his presence. "Severus!" Harry instantly exclaimed. Then, he looked abashed, glancing over at Narcissa for a split second. "I mean, professor. What happened?"

Severus refrained from rolling his eyes, because doing so was below him. "You can call me by my given name while not in the presence of fellow students." Harry sighed and nodded.

He debated with himself over whether he should answer Harry's question or not. He decided to, because withholding information from him in the past had not been beneficial to anyone. "The answer to your question is a difficult one," Severus started. "The headmaster was brought back incapicitated, by none other than Remus Lupin this afternoon. We are still unsure as to what exactly transpired, but he is still in a slightly unstable condition."

Harry looked horrified, for a good reason. If Albus Dumbledore was out of commission, there was a good chance they would lose more battles, if not the entire war. The headmaster was the leader of the Light. What could happen without him?

"Really? That's… that's really bad," was Harry's response.

Severus put his head in one hand. "I will expand your vocabulary if it's the last thing I do, Harry. I don't think the word 'bad' completely encompasses the enormity of our situation."

His statement got the reaction from the young man that he had wanted. Harry smiled, even if it was faint.

"What condition is Albus in now?" Narcissa asked, eyes suddenly worried.

Severus shook his head, solomn. "He is not doing well. I suspect he has a year or two left to look forward to on this earth."

Harry slumped in his seat, looking defeated.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus slid into his bedroom, shoulders falling from their seemingly permanent high place. He had an exhausting, stressful day, and was anticipating a nice, long soak in the bathtub.

The Dark Lord seemed to have other ideas, however.

As soon as he picked up his nightclothes from a drawer, his left arm flared up with excruciating, but terribly familiar pain. Clamping together his teeth to contain a groan, he placed the robes he had gotten out back.

He stumbled over to the closet, and pulled out a cloak as dark as the night itself. Reaching up high, he grabbed a skeletal mask from a shelf placed up high. Severus had no idea why the Dark Lord wanted Death Eaters to wear them - it didn't help keep their identity a secret, because he made a habit of trumpeting out their real names when they met.

Quickly changing into the robes, he sprinted to the nearest fireplace, which was in his living room. Thankfully, Harry and Dursley were in their room, hopefully asleep. He flooed over to Aberforth's thankfully vacant inn, and apparated to wherever the Dark Lord was.

After he felt the normal squeezing sensation, Severus found himself a few feet away from the Dark wizard. Due to his habits as a spy, when he rushed forward to kiss the foot of the Dark Lord's robes, he took in his surroundings.

They were in a dark, massive forest. Severus tried to glance around to see if anyone else was present, but from what he could see, he was very much alone.

Severus's heart rate began to rise. Why did the Dark Lord call him, and him alone? Typically, he was called with one or more persons other than himself. He prayed that the wizard didn't have any bad news for him. Severus was very aware that he had been inspecting his inner circle with the utmost scrutiny possible after the incident with the Malfoys, but he thought he hadn't done anything to make the Dark Lord even moderately suspicious.

"Severussss…" the wizard above him hissed sibilantly. The man in question couldn't help but tense. "Why are you still kneeling? Stand up, my child." Suppressing a visible shudder at being called 'his child,' Severus complied.

He carefully schooled his expression into one of blank honesty. Severus met his eyes, submerging himself within his lake of occlumency. Even if the wizard wasn't suspecting him, it still couldn't hurt to take extra precautions.

The Dark Lord seemed to be satisfied with what he found. "I have found need to inform you of a… project… we will be participating in tomorrow night." The only thing keeping Severus from blowing his cover with a shocked and horrified expression were his previous years of being a spy. This was very sudden. He would have next to no time to warn the Order of whatever the wizard was planning.

"What will this 'project' of yours entail, master?" Severus asked cooly, burying those panicked thoughts. He would be of no help to anyone if he lost it.

"We will be starting an attack on Hogsmeade, starting at around ten o'clock." The Dark Lord's nose flared, and a small, cold smile appeared on his face. "I have found myself in need of a potions master. Be prepared with these concoctions at nine thirty, meeting me in the Forbidden Forest. I will be behind the gamekeeper's hut." He handed Severus a list of what seemed to be Dark, destructive potions.

When Severus nodded, the Dark Lord's little smirk turned into an ugly grin. "I know I can trust you, am I right?" he asked smoothly.

"Absolutely, my Lord," Severus answered.

He hummed. "Very well. You are dismissed."

Severus stepped back, bowed, and disapperated.

As soon as he appeared back in Hogsmeade, he hastened back toward Aberforth's fireplace. He tried to use the man's fireplace as little as possible, because it felt as if he were impinging on the man's hospitality. But, Severus figured that this was enough of an emergency to warrant a use of the hearth.

"The infirmary," he whispered, but enunciated clearly.

Severus appeared in the fireplace at the hospital wing. He rushed forward, approaching the headmaster, who still seemed to be asleep. _Well, not for long,_ he thought as he pulled out his wand. "_Innervate_," he mumbled, trying to be quiet.

The headmaster's eyes flew open. The wizard gasped, obviously not prepared for the abrupt waking. "Severus," he gasped, recognizing the form in the moonlight.

"Yes," Severus responded quietly. "I'm afraid we don't have time for you to rest. Something has come up, and I need your authority on the matter."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Later, Severus was standing in a dark corner of Grimmauld Place. He had alerted the Order to the matter at hand, and he let Minerva do the speaking for him. The woman had recently come back from her vacation in another part of Scotland to take over headmaster duties in the place of Professor Dumbledore.

He didn't want to have the assumption made that the headmaster was ill - it would lower the morale of the Light side. Yes, they would have to break the news to the general public, but the Order didn't have to tell them that _now_.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The next night, ignoring the questions from Harry (and Nagini), Severus gathered up the potions that the Dark Lord had asked of him. He cast a cushioning charm over the bag that held them, and he threw them over a black-cloaked shoulder.

Severus made his way behind Hagrid's hut, where the Dark Lord said he'd meet him. Bracing himself, he broke his way through the thick, forbidding brambles that lined the forest. When his robes got snagged on one of the thorns, he snarled and pulled out his wand.

"_Reducto_," he muttered. The bushes drew back slightly, making things just a little easier for the spy as he traveled across the wards of the castle.

He stumbled his way through the brush until he reached a clearing. "_Homenum revelio,"_ he murmured to see where the Dark Lord must be.

Nothing.

Puzzled, Severus lowered his wand. That spell had always worked on the Dark Lord, even though he was significantly less human than your average person. Severus walked around the clearing, using all of his spy skills to try to hone in on where the wizard could be.

About twenty minutes later, Severus concluded that the Dark Lord truly was not anywhere in the near vicinity. By the 'vicinity,' he meant a few miles out from where he was. Severus was nothing if not thorough.

Nonplussed, he apparated to where the Order was positioned in Hogsmeade.

He appeared next to Tonks, who jumped a foot in the air, drawing her wand at the masked figure. Then, she recognized the mask he was wearing. "Snape!" she exclaimed quietly. "You scared me!"

Severus pulled the stark white cover off of his face. "That is the point of this outfit," he pointed out.

They were positioned at the front of the Three Broomsticks, along with Dedalus Diggle and Emmeline Vance. They were all braced for attack, and once they had all recognized Severus, they went back to where they were before the interruption silently.

They waited.

And waited.

Nothing happened for the next twenty minutes, and Severus was starting to get antsy. Not that he'd ever admit it, but it was true. Where were the Dark Lord and his followers?

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

_Hey! Thanks for sticking with me through this story. Wow... actually, I never thought this story would actually grow to be this big, when I started working on it._

_I actually have an idea for another story, and if it takes off from the ground, I'll start posting chapters of it too. The only thing I'll tell you - It's about Batman. And Robin._


	17. The Truth

_Previously..._

_They waited._

_And waited._

_Nothing happened for the next twenty minutes, and Severus was starting to get antsy. Not that he'd ever admit it, but it was true. Where were the Dark Lord and his followers?_

_HPHPHPHPHPHPHP_

The raid never happened.

Everyone waited for about three hours for the attack to begin, but nothing out of the ordinary appeared. All through the stakeout, Severus was questioning what he experienced in the Forbidden Forest. The Dark Lord never forgot about something unintentionally. A sudden knife of dread stabbed through him. What if-

Was it possible that the Dark Lord truly suspected him of treason?

Severus mentally shook himself. If that were true, he would have been struck down without a moment's notice. The wizard didn't care who he disposed of, once they showed even a hint of reluctance to do something - no matter the rank. Severus had seen this time and time again. Every time the Dark Lord called a meeting, Severus worried that he'd be the next one to have a beam of green directed at him, so this was nothing new.

_But isn't this a new situation?_ a small voice whispered.

_Silence,_ he answered. Then, his brows furrowed. Why was he responding to a voice in his head? Was he going mad?

He didn't have time to ponder this further until something _creeeak_ed in the back of the shop they were in, Hogsmeade. Immediately, they spun around to start casting spells at the intruder.

A trap door on the floor opened slowly, and it seemed that nothing was getting out of it. Not once lowering his wand, Severus tiptoed over to the hidden door.

It was empty.

Severus ran ideas through his head about what on earth could have caused the door to open seemingly on its own. Someone with a disillusionment charm? An invisibility cloak? A strong draft?

He cleared his throat, that was clogged with disuse. "_Accio invisibility cloak,_" he whispered. An invisibility cloak was the best guess, even though they were rare and very expensive.

A silvery substance rushed toward him, and he batted it from the air. He quickly shot an "_Immobilus!"_ at whoever was revealed.

The person ducked, and then Severus realized that the mop of hair he uncovered was awfully familiar. The red beam of light soared over his head, and Severus held his hand out to stop Vance, Diggle, and Tonks from cursing the person. The person's head whipped up, showing telltale pale marks on his face.

Harry. Without Nagini.

What was the young man even doing in Hogsmeade? Severus thought he had been secretive enough while planning this 'event.' Not to mention the fact that Harry even knew there was a passage there. Of course, Severus had his suspicions, but he never had concrete evidence.

He glanced down at the invisibility cloak on the ground and drew a mental line between it and Harry. So, another theory he had about the young wizard was proven right.

Severus crossed his arms. "What do you think you're doing here, young man?" he asked testily.

Harry grimaced, white scars twisting. "Sorry."

"You didn't answer the question. And, I doubt you are truly sorry."

He looked chastened. "I just heard you… speaking about it," he said quietly.

Wait. When had he spoken of this around Harry's ears? Then, he had to repress a flush from crawling over his face. He had a bit of a bad habit - talking to himself. When he truly thought he was alone, he responded aloud to that little voice at the back of his head. Gah.

Severus sighed slowly, and he picked up the invisibility cloak from the ground. "Until further notice, this will be in my possession." Harry opened his mouth, looking a bit angry. Then he seemed to think better of it, and his jaw clicked shut.

"Since you're here, you might as well stay. Crouch behind that stand - yes, right there. Now stay still." Severus slid back into the spot he was in before they were disturbed.

He glanced over at Tonks, who had recovered from the disruption. She was grinning at him in a slightly terrifying way. "What is it?" he hissed.

Her smile deepened evilly. "I just think it's so cute that you and Harry have finally bonded. I mean, it's like you're a father and son!"

Severus's face twisted into something he hoped was a terrifying snarl. "If you were still my student, Hufflepuff would be fifty points short."

The bad part was, it was very true. Harry and he seemed to have more and more of a filial relationship as time passed - and the young man had been in his care for only a bit over a week. _Maybe you aren't too different?_ the Voice said.

Severus decided to ignore it for the time being. After all, he had to dissuade Tonks of the notion that she was so intent upon.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus decided that he'd ignore - for the time being- that the Dark Lord hadn't arrived like he said he would. He would open that can of worms once he got there.

After the uneventful, all night long stakeout, he had gone to the infirmary to inform the headmaster of the unexpected events. As expected, the wizard had been worried. He had the same concerns Severus did - what if his cover had been blown? Although the headmaster may have been anxious about the general welfare of the potions master, Severus had a feeling that he was more troubled about the fact that he would lose the best spy they had. Sometimes the headmaster was so cunning and ambitious, it was a wonder he wasn't in Slytherin.

Severus had confiscated Harry's invisibility cloak for the time being. Harry had been nearly mutinous when he locked it away in his room, but Severus thinks that he understands why he had to do that.

Now, it was time to truly begin to pack for the move to the Haven. He had made plans to floo there tomorrow, and everything should be ready for them. Granger and Weasley were scheduled to appear a few hours after lunch for another visit. Severus had warned Harry not to tell his friends about his Parselmagic. Only select members of the Order and the headmaster needed to know about this particular branch of magic. The more people that knew of it, the more likely the Dark Lord would hear about it. Then it wouldn't become an asset any more than Lily's blood magic. In other words, useless.

_HPHPHPHPHPHPHP_

_You might be wondering if Severus is going to go back to the Dark Lord once he inevitably calls his followers again. You might think that he would be certain that he will be killed once he comes back into the spell range of Voldemort. But, he can't be certain. Severus IS under the impression that he had nothing to live for other than to be a spy for the Order. Hopefully, that mindset will change._

_HPHPHPHPHPHPHP_

Harry grinned at Ron while Hermione buried her face in her hands. Ron had finally plucked up the courage to ask her out on a date a few nights before, and had not hesitated to tell his best mate the news. Hermione, of course, was mortified, for reasons that both young men were bewildered by. Nagini was watching everything, curled up around Harry.

"Hermione, this is normal!" Harry said in a patronizing way, patting her shoulder. "This happens to everyone!"

The witch chuckled, pulling an extremely red face out of her hands. "I know, I know!" She huffed out a breath. "It's just so hard to believe, myself."

Harry laughed. He hoped that one day, he'd find someone to truly love - and not like that fiasco with Cho. He didn't want something like that to ever happen again.

"I'm happy for the both of you." Harry thought back to what Hermione told him a few days before. About how he could tell them anything. He didn't know how she did it, but she seemed very perspective of problems or things that were weighing heavily on the mind.

Although, seeing how they both were so happy, cuddling close to each other… he didn't want to spoil this instant. There was a war coming, and fast. They might not get many more moments like this, and he didn't want to mess it up with a bombshell like the Dursleys.

He had just made up his mind to not yet tell them what happened at No. 4 Privet Drive when Dudley rounded the corner of the hallway.

"Harry, do you know where the…" He trailed off when he noticed Ron and Hermione sitting on the couch. He quickly retreated back to his room, eyes widening especially when he noticed Ron's red hair. He was probably still traumatized by the Ton-Tongue Toffee the twins gave him.

Harry, amused by this memory, turned back to his friends to see them looking at him strangely. "What?" he asked.

"Harry, was that your cousin?" Ron asked, no doubt remembering the summer of fourth year as well.

Then he remembered - neither of them knew that Dudley had taken up residence with him as well. His good mood fled. "Erm… yeah," he answered, hoping desperately that he wouldn't have to explain.

"What is he doing here?" Hermione said, suspicious.

Harry sighed, noticing that the 'moment' he had been thinking of earlier had dissipated completely. He guessed that he could say that the reason that both Dudley _and_ he was there was solely because of the Death Eater attack, but he didn't want to lie to them.

He decided to go with the truth, and the whole truth. "I think I have a lot to tell you." Hermione immediately looked gratified, while Ron seemed apprehensive. Harry threaded his hands in his lap, suddenly nervous. He had never _willingly_ told anyone about this. He took a deep breath before he started, preparing his words.

"Remember when Mad-Eye warned my uncle to be nice to me earlier this summer, because Sirius had died?" They both nodded. "Well… the only thing keeping Vernon from… er… laying hands on me… in a violent fashion… was the threat of a mad serial killer that had my back."

Hermione looked sad, and Ron just looked a bit confused. Harry felt embarrassment creeping down his spine.

"If I had my way, I would have _never_ told my 'family' that my godfather had died. If I did, I might not have… suffered as much as I had." Hermione placed her hand over her eyes, her shoulders shaking. Ron still looked befuddled, so Harry had to put it in blunt words.

"I was physically abused, Ron."

As realization crashed down upon his friend, Harry remembered Severus's reaction to his situation. He had seemed a bit bewildered at the fact that someone would willingly hurt their kin in such a wanton way; maybe it was a wizarding thing. Everyone had been raised to believe that children were precious and were to be treated as such. Why should Ron be any different?

He looked horrified as the full implications of this hit him. "Harry… did he hurt you… badly?"

Harry looked down at his hands, still on his lap. He picked at his bandage, overwhelmed with emotion. "Yeah." His voice broke, and he tried again. "Yeah, he did." Shame colored his neck and the tips of his ears red.

"Mate… do you have any…" Harry could fill in the rest of the sentence. _Do you have any more scars?_ He desperately wanted to tell them about his cognitive patronus that had extreme healing powers, but he'd have to settle with a half truth. He completely understood Severus's thoughts about how he had to keep his parseltongue abilities a secret.

"No, thankfully. Se- Professor Snape made a great salve that healed them when he retrieved me from the Dursleys." Harry tensed up at his near slip-up, hoping that neither of them noticed. Hermione was still trying to repress tears, and Ron wasn't perceptive enough to discern the slight stumble of his speech.

"You mean, Snape got you from that place?" Ron sounded disbelieving.

"That's Professor Snape to you," said a voice from the hallway.

All three of them jumped a mile. Hermione hastily wiped her eyes clean of the evidence of her sorrow, and said, "Sir!"

Severus stepped from the hallway. He wasn't wearing his billowing teaching robes, which seemed to throw both Ron and Hermoine for a loop. Mind you, they were still a bit billowy, but not as bat-like as what they typically saw him in.

Harry suppressed a grin at their gobsmacked expressions. Severus had probably been listening in on their conversation, scheming about the right time to make his grand appearance. Harry was grateful for this, because he wasn't sure about how to lighten the mood after the information he had just dropped on their shoulders. He appreciated the gesture.

"I thought you were going to be spending the day brewing" Harry said, feigning surprise.

The man shook his head, coming over to sit down on a cushioned chair. Crossing his legs, he shook his head. "It got quite dull down in my potions laboratory." Silence reigned. "Well, don't let my presence ruin your conversation," Severus snarked.

"Never," Harry replied sarcastically, horrifying Hermione, who put her hands up to her mouth.

"Harry!" she hissed between her teeth.

He grinned at her and Ron's twin expressions of terror. "It's fine, guys. He's harmless, I promise."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Mr. Potter." Severus was obviously just as entertained as Harry at the predicament his friends. "I have spent years sculpting my reputation as a heartless git."

"Whatever you say, sir," Harry replied. He turned his head back over to Ron and Hermione. They both looked stricken, absolutely sure that Gryffindor would be in negative points even before the school year started.

Severus just humphed, and pulled a book out of nowhere.

Harry laughed. "So… how exactly did this date go?" he asked.

Hermione turned an alarming shade of red again. "Harry," she protested, obviously not wanting to talk about that in front of their mean potions professor.

Harry grinned. Man, would he have a fun time with this…

HPHPHPHPHPHP

It took almost an hour for Harry's friends to realize that Severus really meant no harm. He just sat in the chair next to them, reading his book. Harry could bet that it was one on potions.

After Ron and Hermione had left, Harry turned back to Severus and said, "That was really mean of you, you know?"

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're speaking of."

Harry just chucked, and sat back down with Nagini. "_Sssso… what did you think of my friendssss?"_

"_I am guessssing the one with the bright red hair was Ruler-Adviccce, and the one with the bright red face was Boundary-Marker."_ The serpent lifted her head. "_Right?"_

Harry nodded, smiling broadly. "_You got it!"_ he hissed.

"_Issss Boundary-Marker'ssss faccce alwayssss sssso red?"_ Nagini asked.

"_No, I wasss jusssst embarassssing her."_

Nagini looked confused. "_Sssso, what you are ssssaying, isss that when humansss get embarasssssed, they turn sssscarlet?"_

"_Ssssoundssss about right,"_ replied Harry, shaking his head humorously.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Lucius Malfoy stumbled down the hallway to the infirmary. The pain in his arm had increased exponentially, and it had been impossible to keep from his wife. He didn't have Severus's impressive pain tolerance. Narcissa, worried about his health, had immediately sent him down to get a stronger pain potion. As far as he could tell, Draco knew nothing of his situation.

He'd rather keep it that way.

The head of the Malfoy family entered the hospital wing silently. He took a quick glance at Dumbledore, who was sound asleep on his bed. It was close to dinnertime, and Madam Pomfrey should be waking him up soon.

He sat on the chair next to the old man, and waited for the matron. As he settled down, he started rubbing his left forearm. He thought of why he left the Dark Lord for the Light side. He honestly wasn't sure the exact reason - it was hard to put into words. He had seen the Dark wizard do many inhumane and gruesome things before, so why did the torture of Potter in particular make his stomach roil?

He didn't know.

As expected, the mediwitch came out of her office and into the infirmary at about six o'clock. She blinked as she noticed the wizard, and rushed over.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, slightly prickly. No matter the situation, the woman always seemed exasperated with everything.

"Yes, in my opinion. But, my wife seems to have other thoughts." He pushed back his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark, which was puffy and inflamed. The Mark itself was vivid and bright, seeming almost… alive.

Lucius remembered the night when he was accepted into the ranks of the Dark Lord's followers. He had to prove his loyalty to the wizard on more than one occasion, doing terrible, unspeakable things in the process. He remembered how proud he had been to have the man's brand on his skin. Now, he felt nothing but revulsion concerning the tattoo.

Madam Pomfrey's nose scrunched up. "Yes, this does seem bad. You should have come earlier."

Lucius sighed. "Not you, too," he groaned. The witch had been the matron of the hospital wing even when he had been in school, and she had not changed one bit.

"I'll have to give you a nerve blocking potion that you will have to apply directly to your arm twice every day, along with a salve to help with swelling. If you had come to me sooner, we wouldn't be having this conversation tonight!" She waved her wand, and the concoctions she needed came zooming toward her hands.

Lucius took the bottles gingerly. "Hold out your arm," Madam Pomfrey said. She demonstrated what he was supposed to do, rubbing the swelling reducer directly on the Mark, while only applying the nerve blocker around the Mark. Almost immediately, the puffiness reduced substantially, and he felt relief from the pain that had been plaguing him for days.

"Now, get yourself out of my infirmary before I do it myself," she snarked.

Lucius didn't need to be told twice.

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

_Thank you all so much for the favs and the follows! You have no idea what it means to me. I really try to update as often as possible, but, as always, life happens. _


	18. The Haven

Harry stretched out his arms, popping his back. He had woken up a few minutes before, thanks to Severus rousing him, Dudley, and Nagini with no explanation. He grabbed his wand on the side table and cast a _tempus_. Seven o'clock.

Joy.

Harry practically rolled out of bed, catching a glimpse of Dudley, who was sitting up. The poor guy looked like he was about to fall asleep again. Nagini raised her head, blinking blearily.

"_Army-Leader…"_ she complained. "_What time issss it?"_ Harry answered the question. The snake hissed a sigh in response. "_It isss too early for whatever Sssevere-Ssstern has planned."_

Harry wholeheartedly agreed. He stumbled over to his traveling case, pulling out a pair of black trousers and a white button down shirt. The day before, Severus had told them to pack all of their items in their suitcases. Harry didn't know why. He put those on, and went over to a different part of the case, choosing an emerald cloak to wear. Not that he'd ever say it out loud, but his favorite color was actually green, not red like everyone assumed. It just sounded too… Slytherin to admit. He slid his wand into an inside pocket on the robes.

"_Come on, Nagini,"_ Harry said, making Dudley jump a bit in his bed. He quickly got up to get dressed, because no one wanted to incite the wrath of one Severus Snape.

The snake slithered around the still-warm blankets, sighing. "_Okay."_ She was so long, she had to unwrap herself from the sheets _and_ the bed frame before being able to follow Harry out of the room. If someone with malicious intent had come into his room at night and had seen that sight, they would have been terrified out of their minds. The dark lighting put Nagini in high relief, and just _seeing_ a snake that large without recognizing it would be strickening.

"_It issss sssstill cold,"_ Nagini complained. Harry had instructed Severus to heat up his quarters more, to prevent the serpent from going into a frozen state again. But, of course, she protested about the chilliness of the dungeons on more than one occasion.

"_I would recommend moving around more, but you aren't warm blooded."_ Harry chuckled while entering the lounge. He could _just_ see the potions master around the corner of the room, at his table. He had a cup of steaming tea in his hands, and was taking small sips out of it with his eyes closed. He was probably meditating.

Harry crossed the room to the fireplace and grabbed floo powder. He threw it into the fireplace, called out "Hogwarts kitchens," and ordered some breakfast. After the fiasco with the house elf named Juggle, he always had ordered food directly from the kitchens instead of calling for one house elf in particular.

Slowly, but surely, his appetite had been returning. Harry couldn't remember the last time he had felt hungry for more than a few bites of any meal. Of course, when he had the chance to eat more, he did, but it always made him feel a bit sick. Now, he could eat more and more food without worrying about throwing up.

Not a minute after he had ordered the food, a tray that had cereal, toast, and milk on it appeared in the fireplace. Somehow, ash never got on the food.

He picked up the tray, and headed over to the dining room table with Nagini. Severus had opened his eyes, and was watching him.

As Harry set down the tray, Dudley came crashing into the room. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He seemed slightly out of place with his Muggle attire, amongst Harry and Severus's robes.

"Morning!" Harry greeted him.

"Morning," Dudley replied, almost breathless.

Harry started to head over to the fireplace again. "Whaddaya want for breakfast today?"

Dudley, surprisingly, said, "Just an orange." When Harry raised an eyebrow, he elucidated. "I need to lose some weight, obviously. I'm trying to take my diet seriously. Well, more seriously than I have been over the past few years."

Harry nodded, understanding. He ordered an orange, and two seconds later, one appeared in the hearth. Now that he thought about it, Dudley _had_ been eating less than usual. Good for him.

Harry settled back down at the table, across from Severus. "So… why did you wake us up this early? Are we going somewhere?"

The man had closed his eyes again. He opened them and simply replied, "Yes." Harry twisted his wrist, asking for more of an explanation. "I have made plans to relocate for the rest of the summer."

Out of all of the things Harry was expecting, that was a response that was lower down on the list. He poured his glass of milk over the cereal. "...What? Where?" he finally asked.

"I inherited a domicile from my deceased mother." Severus finished the last of his tea before continuing. "It's official name is Prince Manor, but everyone that knows of its existence calls it Haven."

Harry wondered about that. Why was it that almost every home in the wizarding world had a name? The Weasley's home was called the Burrow, the British school of witchcraft and wizardry was named Hogwarts, and Malfoy's home was simply called the Manor. He voiced this question, genuinely curious.

"Any building that houses a great number of magical beings or items imbues some of the magic itself. That being said, Hogwarts has an aura of learning, and the Malfoys' Manor has an aura of Dark magic. This gives the dwelling a bit of a personality. Grimmauld Place used to have a name, but the Blacks didn't like the idea of their house having a 'personality.'"

That really didn't make sense to Harry, but he nodded anyways.

"_What issss happening?"_ Nagini asked curiously.

"_Apparently, Ssssevere-Sssstern hassss a home that isss called Haven, and we're gonna ssspend the ressst of the ssssumer there."_

The snake looked thoughtful. "_He never told my previoussss massster about thisss houssse."_

"_Gee, I wonder why,"_ Harry hissed sarcastically.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Not for the first time in his life, Harry thanked the heavens above for shrinking charms. This allowed him to fit his trunk into his robe pocket instead of lugging it around. Nagini partially curled around his ankles, preparing to be stuck on Harry's body.

Severus stepped into the fireplace first. "To enter Prince Manor, you must speak the words 'the Haven.' I have rearranged the wards to recognize the both of you, so you should not have any difficulty arriving at your destination." When both Harry nodded, he grabbed a handful of floo powder and vanished in a pillar of green flame.

Harry turned to Dudley, who looked perplexed. Then, he remembered that his cousin didn't know how to move along the floo network. Could Muggles even _use_ the floo? Apparently Severus thought they could.

Stepping over Nagini's numerous coils, he led Dudley over to the hearth. "What you need to do is simple. Just grab a pinch of this gray powder here," he gestured to the floo powder, "step into the fireplace, and throw it down. As you throw it, you say 'the Haven' really clearly. Easy as pie, right?"

Dudley looked petrified. "Easy as pie," he murmured. He let himself get led into the fireplace, and Harry handed him the bowl of floo powder. He tentatively picked up a handful of the powder, and he took a deep breath. He threw it down, while bellowing, "THE HAVEN!"

Harry flinched involuntarily. Why had he reacted like that? He shrugged it off, not really wanting to dive deep into the reasons.

"_Well, I can't fault him for hisss enthusssiasssm,"_ Nagini snarked.

Harry laughed. "_Come here, you."_ Putting the bowl down on a side table, he walked into the hearth. Nagini wrapped as much of her body around his legs as much as she could without crushing his bones. He threw the floo powder down. "The Haven!"

He got ejected into a plush carpet, 100 kilos of _snake_ following. Safe to say, it wasn't very comfortable. Harry groaned with face pressed to the floor.

Nagini untangled herself from his legs as fast as she could, all the while hissing, "_Sssorry,"_ over and over.

"_It'sss okay, Nagini,"_ he moaned.

A hand from above got presented before him. Without thinking, he took it. Severus huffed out a breath as he hauled Harry to his feet. "Thanks," Harry said sheepishly.

"Both you and Dursley leave much to be desired in the category of gracefulness."

"Not everyone can be as refined as you, Severus," Harry retorted playfully.

Severus humphed.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The Haven was very large, with numerous rooms. But, this was _nothing_ compared to the _yard_. The house easily had five acres of cleanly-kept lawn. Harry figured the house elves cut and tended to it, but it couldn't have been an easy feat, even with magic.

When he had first seen the grounds, he was stunned. Severus had explained that he was planning to have Harry experiment with his parselmagic out on the expansive yard. Harry couldn't help but be impressed - he didn't think that Malfoy Manor even had this much _lawn_. The rich green grass was a beautiful shade of emerald, almost like his eyes.

He had already put his belongings into the hands of the house elves. Like almost any other house elf, they had instantly taken a liking to him as soon as he had said 'thank you.'

At the moment, he was outside deliberating what spell he would test out. Severus hadn't seen a reason why they should wait to start experimenting with the magic, so they had almost immediately gone out to the lawn. Dudley was over on the porch, anxiously wringing his hands while Severus and Harry were over near the middle of the grass.

Harry shook himself out nervously. He wondered what on earth would happen, now that they had finally gotten to a place where they could test out his spells.

Severus seemed to notice his indecision. "I shall lay down protective shielding spells around the yard, so if a spell goes awry, it will do no irreparable harm." He lifted his wand, and began to do so. About half a minute later, he turned back to Harry sharply. "Why don't you try your trademark incantation - the disarming spell? Attempt to demobilize me."

Harry nodded and raised his wand. He glanced over at Nagini, who was wrapped around one of the house's pillars, observing. "_Exssspelliarmussss!"_ he shouted, pointing his wand at the potions master.

Unexpectedly, a large, glowing, scarlet light burst from the tip of his wand. Severus called out the jelly-legs jinx at him, but his crimson gleam seemed to _expand_ and envelop the curse. Suddenly, Harry realized his radiant glow was taking the form of a _phoenix_. In his shock, he just stood by as the vibrant red bird came down upon Severus, who brandished his wand in what looked like panic.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he said "_Finite incantatem_!" in English. Of course, nothing happened. The silent, ruby phoenix was still assaulting the poor wizard. He shook his head frantically, and then shouted, "_Finite incantatem!"_ but this time in parseltongue.

The phoenix paused in its assail against Severus. While it was still, Harry got a good look at what the bird looked like.

It - of course - was completely red. Unlike Fawkes, the phoenix was perpetually in flames. Even though flames were licking over its entire being, you could somehow see every feather in high relief. Somehow, even though Dumbledore's phoenix was a glorious sight to behold, the flaming bird that Harry's wand had produced was even more spectacular.

It obediently came back over to his wand, and with a protective look in its beady eye, tapped the tip of its sharp beak to Harry's wand. Severus, who was sprawled on the ground, pushed himself up on his elbows. His robes were partially shredded, and he was exuding a faint smell of smoke.

He grimaced. "Observation: Never again cast a spell at someone who is using parselmagic."

Nagini slithered over, hissing a laugh. "_I have never sssseen Sssevere-Ssstern so disssheveled even after a torture sssessssion with The Forsssaken One!"_

Harry shot a raised eyebrow at her. "_That'ssss not very funny."_ Then he grimaced. "_You know, I'm not very sssure whether I ssshould asssk him if he needssss help or not."_

Nagini was writhing on the grass, almost in hysterics.

Severus managed to pull himself to his feet. "What is wrong with your snake?" he asked snidely.

Harry shrugged. "Note to self - don't even _pretend_ to attack me while I'm doing this."

"Hear, hear!" Dudley shouted from the porch, laughing.

Severus only sighed, brushing himself off. "What do I do next?" Harry, asked sheepishly, twisting his wand in his hands. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Whatever you think is prudent," he replied longsufferingly. Severus quickly backed away from the range of the wand.

Nagini had recovered from her hilarity, and was coiled up next to Harry, head up. Her shrewd yellow eyes were watching him, interested. "_What ssshould I do now?"_ he asked.

"_Perhapssss the 'levitating charm' that I ssssee many humansss doing."_

Harry nodded. "_Ssssoundsss good,"_ he responded. "I'm doing the levitating charm, Severus."

The potions master only nodded. He backed away even further, beginning to _reparo_ his torn and singed clothing.

He chuckled a bit, and lifted his wand once more. He focused his attention on a decorative log bordering one tree on the lawn. "_Wingardium leviossssa,"_ he hissed.

Immediately, a black, crackling electrical mass exploded from the end of his wand and shot over to where he was pointing his wand.

The winged frame somehow expanded with a tremendous _crack_ and picked up the log. The bird turned to him, awaiting further instructions. Starting, Harry lifted his wand up in the air. The black bird followed his wand, raising the log in the air.

Relieved that this was a more peaceful spell than the last, he lowered the wand and the electrified bird landed on the ground, placing the log down. It shrank down to the size of the average crow. In fact, it _did_ look a bit like a crow.

The bird flapped back over to him, landing in front of his feet. Sure enough, it was a crow, just made of pure black. And with electricity arcing around its body.

"_Thank you,"_ Harry automatically said, and the crow bowed its head and dissipated in a cloud of black smoke.

He turned around and saw Severus coming back over. His eyebrows were raised. "Your parselmagic seems to have a bit of the flair for the dramatic," he commented.

"Yeah," Harry said. "It wouldn't be that great for an incognito mission."

Severus sniffed. "You will not be going on any 'incognito missions' while you are under my care, do you understand? I think you learned your lesson with your invisibility cloak."

Harry was still kind of peeved from that little incursion. He hadn't expected to get caught, and Severus still hadn't explained what on earth he and the rest of the Order were doing in Hogsmeade in what seemed to be an eventless night.

He didn't ask about it then, however. It would just be added to his ever-growing list of questions.

"Yes, I did. No need to rub it in," Harry said, crossing his arms.

Severus gestured to his wand. "I think we have done enough today. Come back inside." He started walking back over to the Haven.

"_I take it we're done with exxxpirementing for now?"_ Nagini asked. Harry answered yes. "_Can you assssk if I can go hunting? I haven't eaten in weeksss."_

"_Of courssse."_ He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Severus! Can Nagini go hunting?"

"Yes!" was the terse answer he got back.

"_Let 'er rip,"_ he said to Nagini, who only looked confused.

"_Issss thisss a human exxxpresssssion I do not know of?"_

Harry facepalmed. "_I guesssss ssso. Jussst go eat."_

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

_Gah!_

_I feel so guilty!_

_Now, I do have some valid reasons for not updating for, like, a month. First of all, I had my wisdom teeth removed. Yeah, ouch. Second of all, midterms have been looming over my head for a month now. I am __**almost**__ done with them, but I still have a few more to go._

_Lucky me!_

_Anyways, thanks for reading this chapter, albeit shorter than usual. I've just not had a bunch of time on my hands. I expect that to change soon, though! I'll be looking forward for that._

_Also, thank you __**so much**__ for all of the favorites and reviews. It really makes my day to see everyone liking my stories._


	19. Family

Harry was sitting on his new bed, scribbling down the list of the spells he had experimented with. It was amazing how his magic now seemed to have a mind of its own. He petted Nagini's head with gentle strokes. Just think - if the serpent hadn't been so curious of how magic worked, he would probably not have learned about this ability. Maybe this could be the 'power the Dark Lord knows not.' But, Harry shook his head at himself. Voldemort could speak parseltongue just as well as he could, if not better.

Sighing, he put his pencil down. He wondered if he would be able to visit Hogwarts over the summer. He knew Severus would be frequently going back to the castle, thanks to Dumbledore's condition. He wondered who the figurehead and leader of the Light would be after… he passed. With any luck, it wouldn't be Harry.

But, he did tend to have the worst of fortune.

Shrugging this depressing thought off, he stood to speak with Severus about what the plans for the week were. He relayed these thoughts to a languid Nagini, who was basking in the summer sun filtering down from his large window. She had a slight bulge in her stomach where her unfortunate prey now rested.

"_Ooookaaaay,"_ she replied, obviously enjoying the change in temperature. "_I'll be here."_

Harry walked a ridiculous distance to get to the lounge, where Severus said he'd be. When he _finally_ got to his destination, Severus was poring through a book that looked older than both of them combined.

"What are you reading?" Harry asked as a greeting.

Severus gave a small sigh, setting the tome down on a small side table. "A book that I thought would shed light on why Parselmagic takes the form of animals. However, I am not having much success."

"Hmm." Harry crossed his arms over his body, thinking. Where on earth would information on this form of magic _be_?

Suddenly, Severus clicked his tongue and raised a finger. This was so unlike him that Harry couldn't help but stare a bit.

Looking slightly embarrassed, he lowered the finger. "Recall your second year," he said. Harry nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "Remember the Chamber of Secrets?"

"How could I forget?" Yes, Harry was painfully cognisant of his encounter with Voldemort in the dank, disgusting chamber. How Ginny had seemed so lifeless and pallid… how she had almost died. How _he_ had almost died. In fact, Harry still had the scar where the basilisk's fang had punctured him.

"There is a possibility that some of Salazar Slytherin's old spellbooks are in there."

Harry blinked. "Yes, that's very true!" Then, his eyebrows furrowed. "Wait. I'm not really sure how to put this, but it's something that has been weighing on my mind recently." Severus nodded his head slightly. "You see, when I met Slytherin's portrait, he seemed really nice - not the kind of wizard to discriminate against anyone. And… the deal with his basilisk… he doesn't seem the type to bend a creature's free will like that. Especially to a snake!" He remembered how reverent Salazar had been of Nagini when he had seen her.

Severus leaned back in his chair. He remained silent for a few seconds, pondering his words. "Harry, you have to understand that people can change." When Harry nodded his head, he continued. "He _was_ opposed to letting muggleborns attend Hogwarts early on in his life. However, when he got to know a few of these witches and wizards, his views slowly began to shift. At the end of his life, he was friends with quite a few muggleborns."

"Why isn't this common knowledge if it's true?" Harry asked. He'd heard almost everyone he knew talk badly about Salazar - even Professor Mcgonagall!

"Most people tend to accept what they hear as the truth. I just happened to do a little bit of research before jumping to a conclusion."

"Oh."

"About your concerns on the basilisk - it wasn't always like how it was when you killed it."  
Severus dipped his head, almost mournfully. "Thousands of years of solitude and hunger can do that to a creature. Especially one with such intellect. When Slytherin first hatched the egg of the basilisk, I have a notion that it was not as bloodthirsty as it was when you encountered it."

Harry frowned, conflicted. He had a hard time linking the ferocious, terrifying monster he met in the Chamber with a poor, lonesome animal.

"I will contact the headmaster, and we will be going back to the castle tomorrow to investigate this lead we may have."

That sounded reasonable enough. "Okay," he responded. But, it was only eleven in the morning. "Will we be doing anything else today?"

"Yes. Your cousin will be coming with us to Diagon Alley to get robes. As you may have noticed, he cannot blend in with the rest of the wizarding world in t-shirts and jeans."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus watched impassively as Harry's cousin lay on the ground. He had just gotten his first taste of apparation, and Mr. Dursley was having difficulties keeping his stomach in check. Harry was knelt on the ground making sure he was okay, but Severus couldn't care less.

None of them were wearing robes at the moment, but Severus had Harry keep his shrunken down in his pocket. They were going to put them on once they got into Diagon Alley.

Speaking of Diagon Alley…

Severus was conducting an experiment, unbeknownst to either of the young men beside him. This would determine whether Dursley had any magic in him or not.

Only witches and wizards could see the Leaky Cauldron. If Dudley could or couldn't, that would be the end of the conundrum that had been puzzling him for a while. If he was able to detect the restaurant, it was obvious that he had magic in his blood. If not, Severus would just take Dudley's measurements and go get the robes himself.

They started down the bustling street towards the Leaky Cauldron. It was only about a block away, so it wouldn't take long for them to reach it.

Severus glanced over at Harry. Earlier, Severus had re-cast the glamours over themselves. Severus Snape was now Alan Rickman, and Harry Potter was now Daniel Radcliffe. (A/N: Heh.) Dudley was still himself, because no one in the wizarding world would associate him with Harry Potter.

Not two minutes later, they arrived at the front of the Leaky Cauldron. Sure enough, Dudley was staring up at the old building, looking slightly confused.

"Why haven't I ever seen this place?" he asked, scrunching his face. "It sticks out like a sore thumb!"

Harry just shrugged. Severus stared. Then, he just turned away with a small sigh. Harry truly was a bright young man, but he could be as observant as a brick wall at times.

They managed to get through the restaurant without much delay. Dursley was taking his time, gawping at the various witches and wizards packing the place. When they reached the barrier between the pub and Diagon Alley, Dudley turned to Harry with a confused expression.

"What do we do now?" he asked, seeing the seemingly impenetrable wall before him.

Harry grinned. "Wait and see!"

Severus took his wand out of the holster on his arm. Telling Harry to get his robe on, he tapped the specific bricks that caused the wall to draw back on itself. Casting a glance to his side, he saw Dursley's mouth wide open in a slightly gruesome gape.

"Mr. Dursley," Severus snarked. "One would think you had never seen a wall vanish before your eyes."

With a glazed look on his face, Dudley turned to him. "Mr. Dursley is - _was_ \- my dad," he replied, still looking dazed. "I'm just Dudley."

Severus didn't know how to respond to that, so he just turned with a swish of his cloak.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

A few hours later, Harry was at his wit's end. He never knew how _grueling_ it was to go clothes shopping for someone other than himself, because the Dursleys never took him to the store unless absolutely necessary. He didn't even have Nagini to talk to, since she was left at the Haven, basking in the copious amounts of sunlight.

You do not know the utter relief that Harry felt when Severus deemed the amount of clothing Dudley had as 'enough.'

"They are adjustable," the saleswizard advertised. "They will grow with you!" Harry hoped, for Dudley's sake, that he wouldn't be doing any more growing. Rather, he should be shrinking.

When they walked back out of the Leaky Cauldron, he breathed in a gulp of not-so-fresh London air. No matter how crowded the streets of London were, they would never compare to the narrow and winding alleyways of the wizarding cities.

"What time is it?" he asked Severus, who was walking a few feet ahead of them.

"About one o'clock."

"Are we going to eat lunch?" Harry asked, trying to keep a whining tone out of his voice. He didn't want to sound half his age. To his surprise, Harry actually found himself hungry. It seemed like his appetite was growing, finally. It was still to early for him to eat a full meal, but he could stomach about half of one.

Severus let out a small sigh. "I suppose I should be grateful that you are finding it in you to eat," he said. "Very well. We shall eat at…" he looked around the street they were on. "What is this… McDonald's?"

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

About ten minutes later, Severus learned _exactly_ what McDonald's was.

"What is this monstrosity that they call a "_BigMac'_?" he hissed while poking the hamburger with a fork he had acquired from who knows where. Harry suppressed a giggle behind his quarter pounder as Dudley looked unsure whether he should be amused or horrified.

Harry cleared his throat, trying to banish the laughter that was struggling to emerge from his mouth. It was just _so absurd_ to see Severus Snape, wizard extraordinaire, considering the edibility of a burger at Mcdonald's. Once he got control of his voice, he said, "You shouldn't judge food before you eat it." A small smile cracked at the corners of his mouth.

A minute grimace graced Severus's face for a split second before he picked up his knife and went to work at the BigMac. Harry had to slam his arms down on the table and hide his face in them to conceal his silent laughter. _He's using a knife on the burger! A knife!_ Those were the thoughts racing around his head as he drowned in mirth.

"What is so humourous?" Severus asked eventually.

Harry looked up from his arms just to see him with his hamburger cut into small, precise sections in the box it had come in as Dudley looked on in dismay. This was just enough to send him into hysterics that he wasn't able to contain.

Soon, Harry was able to choke out, "You're supposed to eat it with your hands, not a fork and a knife!"

He watched Severus look offended - through eyes blurry with tears. "Eating any kind of food with my hands is below me," he responded snootily.

Harry jerked backwards in his chair, silent laughter shaking his small frame. _He's- Severus- knife- BigMac- below him- _fragments of thoughts raced through his head. When he was just starting to calm down, seeing Severus's slightly concerned face only added gasoline to the fire.

As he began to cool down, he became aware of a slight tugging on his arm. Taking a deep breath, he turned to see who wanted his attention.

It was a small girl, maybe three or four years old, with big, deep brown eyes. She had tan skin and very curly black hair that was pulled back in a messy ponytail.

"Siw," she said, her r's making a w sound. "I'm lost." She looked ready to break down into tears, and Harry felt his laughter sweep out from under him. For some reason, the way she talked sounded… different. But, it was hard to tell through the high pitched voice she was speaking with.

Harry knelt down on the floor beside her. "Awww, don't cry. It'll be okay, I promise." As the girl began to calm down, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Vickie," she responded, sniffling.

Harry blinked at the odd name. You really didn't see little girls with names like that, these days. He smiled. "Well, Vickie, my name is Harry! Where did you last see your parents?"

"Ou… outside," she said. "Outside da stowe next to hewe. You wooked nice, so I came in to ask fow hewp." Harry's heart melted at Vickie's speech. He wasn't around little kids a lot, so he was helpless when he met one. (A/N: If you couldn't tell, she said "Outside. Outside the store next to here. You looked nice, so I came in to ask for help.")

"We'll take you to that store so we can look, okay?" Harry cooed. He stood up, eyeing his half-eaten burger. "I didn't want to eat that anyways. Severus, before we leave, try the BigMac!"

Severus scowled at Harry before directing his gaze to the diced up hamburger. He picked up his fork and stabbed a piece before inserting it into his mouth. Almost immediately, his face scrunched up comically with disgust. He swallowed the bite before saying, "Never again," shortly.

"Aww, it's not _that_ bad," Harry grinned, while taking little Vickie's hand. "Come on. We'll find your parents."

Vickie gripped Harry's hand as Dudley came by. "I have never seen a man eat a burger with a fork and knife," he whispered. "I guess I can check that one off of my bucket list." Harry snickered.

They entered the store that Vickie had pointed to. It was a grocery store with a fair amount of people in it. It shouldn't have been that hard to find her parents, but it seemed that they had searched for a good twenty minutes before calling it quits.

"I'm not sure if your mum and dad are in h-" Dudley started before being cut off abruptly by Vickie.

"Antonia!" she squealed, running over to a girl who looked about ten years old. She had brown hair in a pixie cut, and pale skin. This was at great juxtaposition to the tan skin of Vickie.

"Oh, _there_ you are! We were looking for you all _over_ the place!" There was the odd accent again! Harry just couldn't place it. The girl, Antonia, looked over her shoulder and shouted, "Mom, Dad! I found Vickie!" She hugged her.

A man and a woman came over from an isle over. They had a guarded expression until they saw the two girls hugging. Their faces broke into relieved smiles and they rushed over.

The woman sighed. "Vickie, you had us so worried!" She had blond hair that came down to mid-back and warm, but shrewd, eyes. The man had, most noticeably, icy blue eyes and salt-and-pepper hair.

Suddenly, a horde of children came around the corner. Harry had a hard time keeping his jaw shut as they all surrounded Vickie. Honestly, it was like seeing the Weasley family, but _small_. The oldest of the group seemed to be a bit younger than him. His eyes darted around to try to count the sheer amount of kids that were clamouring to see the previously lost girl.

He counted seven.

_Just_ like the Weasleys, then.

The oddest thing wasn't the amount of children, though. They all had _extremely_ different skin tones and didn't look like each other at all. Not that he was saying it was _wrong_ that this family was peculiarly diverse, but it just wasn't something you saw every day.

The dad creased his brow, looking up. "Were you the people who led her to us?"

Harry started, putting his hands into his pockets nervously. This man was so tall, it was almost intimidating! It didn't help that his eyes looked as if they were piercing your very soul. "Well, more like she led us to you-"

Severus cut him off before he could start rambling. "Yes, yes we were."

All of the children stood to look at them. Right then, Harry got to get a good look at them. The oldest was a girl with her mother's long blond hair and her father's blue eyes. Then there was the pixie-cut girl, Antonia. There was a African boy with glasses, and two boys who had olive skin and curly black hair. Still sitting with Vickie was a girl with tan skin and curly black hair drawn up into a bun. She had glasses also.

The man nodded at Severus. "Thank you. Sincerely." Then, it seemed as if he noticed Severus and Harry's odd dress and was trying not to be rude about it.

Harry just _could not_ keep another burning question inside him, so he had to blurt something out before they left. "Where do you come from? You have a different accent."

Severus shot a look at him. Harry just shrugged. The family didn't look offended at all. The mother just smiled and said, "We're from America." Oh, that made a lot of since. "Nigel here just got relocated thanks to our military. My name is Gwen."

This seemed to break a dam of conversation that seemed to hold the kids back. Antonia jumped up and down, saying, "I'm Antonia! What's your name?"

Harry patted his chest. "I'm Harry. This is Dudley, and this is…" he paused while gesturing at Severus. He didn't know how to introduce him, since he preferred to be called Professor Snape in a classroom setting.

Severus opened his mouth to answer, but Vickie beat him to it. "Sev'us!" she squeaked. "Sev'us!"

Harry could see that Severus was holding back great exasperation. "Yes," he drawled. "My name is Severus."

"My name is Drew and I'm five!" the smaller of the curly-haired boys exclaimed.

"I'm Mike!" the larger said. "I'm six - but I'll be seven in October!"

The African American boy grinned. "I'm Samson, and nine."

The girl with a bun nodded primly. "I am Helena. I'm the same age as Samson."

"And I'm Vickie!" Vickie said excitedly, seeming to forget she had already told them her name. "I'm thwee." She held up four fingers.

The oldest girl spoke up. "My name is Honor. It's very nice to meet 'ya." Harry felt a little surprised at the glaringly obvious _American_ contraction. "Thank you, again, for helping Vickie here find us."

"No problem," Harry replied.

Gwen smiled at them. "I can't believe we actually lost someone. We are in debt to you. If you ever need help…" she started to pull a piece of torn paper out of her purse. She wrote down something on it and handed it to Severus. "Call this number, okay? It's our house phone."

Severus gazed down at the series of numbers, looking somewhat perplexed. Harry took pity on him and said, "Thank you. We'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Well, we'll be on our way, then," Nigel smiled. All the children choroused "Bye!" as they were ushered out of the store.

Harry waved his hand at the retreating family.

"Well, that was something," Dudley remarked.

Behind them, Severus cleared his throat. "Not to sound ignorant, but what does this string of numbers mean?"

_**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**_

_Yes! I got another chapter done! I feel very accomplished right now. This chapter made me laugh a bit while writing it, so I hope it did the same for you._


	20. Chamber of Secrets

_"__Well, we'll be on our way, then," Nigel smiled. All the children choroused "Bye!" as they were ushered out of the store._

_Harry waved his hand at the retreating family._

_"__Well, that was something," Dudley remarked._

_Behind them, Severus cleared his throat. "Not to sound ignorant, but what does this string of numbers mean?"_

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

After they had made sure Dudley's clothes had arrived at the Haven, Severus brought Harry and Nagini back to Hogwarts to investigate the Chamber of Secrets. He felt as if it were a last straw effort to find information on the elusive form of magic, parseltongue. He didn't really think that they would find much on the issue, but it _was _worth a look.

Not to mention Severus secretly wished to see the basilisk. He doubted it truly was as gargantuan as the stories said, but he would withhold judgement until he saw it with his own eyes.

They were rounding the corner to the second floor girl's lavatory. Severus had heard rumours that a poltergeist or ghost of some sort dwelled there. The talk that he had overheard from the female population said that the creature was somewhat… unsavory.

Indeed, the second they stepped into the bathroom (or slithered, in Nagini's case), Severus heard a moaning, dreadful wail pierce the air. The faded image of a young girl floated down from the ceiling, with her head thrown back in sheer _torment_.

"_Ohh, I thought I would have the entire summer break to mourn the loss of my innocent life,"_ the annoying, high pitched voice hiccuped. "_But -"_ she tilted her head down and caught sight of Harry.

Almost immediately, her demeanor lightened. "_Harry!"_ she simpered.

The young man cringed almost imperceptibly. "Hello, Myrtle," he said, clasping his hands behind his back.

The ghost swooped down almost face-to-face with him. "_Have you come to spend eternity with me?"_ She giggled, putting a hand to her face. Then, her expression fell. "_Or have you come to go into that accursed _chamber_?"_ she whined.

Harry smiled awkwardly. "Er, yes I have. Come to see the chamber, I mean."

She sniffed wetly. "_Well, if you happen to meet death down there, my offer still stands!"_ Myrtle wailed and dove backwards into a toilet. Her cry echoed around the room, sending a slight shiver down Severus's back.

Harry visibly suppressed a shudder. "Anyways…"

Severus looked around the damp bathroom critically, trying not to think of what Myrtle's offer could be. "And where is your Chamber of Secrets, Harry?" he said, a dubious tone in his voice.

The young wizard strode over to one of the faucets. He touched the silver tap, giving Severus a significant look. He glanced over at Nagini, and hissed a short, concise word.

The lavatory started to shift and change dramatically. Severus retained enough composure to keep his jaw from dropping as the sink sank into the ground and a huge, gaping hole yawned up at them. A huge gust of air blew Severus's hair back, stirring long-settled dust on the higher parts of the bathroom.

Harry gestured to the entrance awkwardly, as if they couldn't see it themselves. Severus strode over to the mouth of the chasm. He squinted, trying to make out how far the void dropped, but his eyes couldn't see past ten feet down.

Nagini and Harry then started forward. Severus stepped back to let them pass. It was almost frightening how well the young man and his snake communed with each other. It was as if they had a sort of… mental connection.

To Severus's utter surprise, Harry jumped down the hole with next to no hesitation. The serpent followed not long after, leaving the potions master staring down into the void they disappeared in.

He sighed. _Whatever happens will happen_, he thought resignedly. Severus took a deep breath and plunged into the dark tunnel.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The plummet was shorter than he expected. In hardly the blink of an eye, he had landed (roughly) upon a pile of something crunchy. As he was standing up, he caught sight of what he fell on top of. In fact, the whole floor was covered in the blanched substance.

Small, brittle bones.

Severus was not a squeamish man, but this had him swallowing a small noise his vocal chords automatically tried to make. As he toed around the large pile of bones, he noticed Harry looking slightly off to the side, as if trying to make it seem like he didn't see Severus land directly on his posterior.

"Where to?" he asked wryly, once he had brushed small bits of stark white off of his ebony robes.

Harry pointed behind him to a specific tunnel. "This way was where I went in second year. I don't know, it was kind of… intuition," he said.

Severus nodded, and they went down the passage until they came to what looked like a huge rockslide. He looked over at Harry, and raised an eyebrow. "I'll have to tell you that story later," he said sheepishly. "There's actually a snake skin buried here, you just can't see it."

His mouth twisted into a wry smile, and he followed the young man through the narrow gap in the slabs of shattered stone. The various situations Harry has found himself in… they baffled Severus.

They went forward in silence for a few minutes. Harry stopped at what looked like a huge manhole cover imbedded into the wall. It was very ornate, with carvings of many different snakes on it. Harry stepped in front of it with Nagini, and hissed the same word he had heard up in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Another enchanted snake started circling the portal, and the other serpents moved out of the way for it to pass by. With a finalizing _thud_, the door unlocked. The entrance opened outwards in a slow, dramatic fashion. Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes - Salazar had a penchant for the theatrical.

Harry clambered through the slightly tall mouth, and both Severus and Nagini followed him close after.

The first thing Severus saw was the _gargantuan_ bust of Slytherin's head. Then, he really did roll his eyes. _Melodrama._ He looked around the room and took in the huge stone snakes rearing up. They appeared… impressive. The entire room was gloomy, dark, and _wet_.

Then, Severus laid his eyes upon a lump in the water that he had missed earlier. Harry and Nagini were aimlessly heading that direction, so he decided to take the lead. He speedwalked over to the suspicious-looking heap.

He stopped short of the dark, murky water. From his point of view, he could tell that whatever it was… was _huge_. Severus had a hunch about what the water was housing. He quickly cast a repelling spell on the edge of his robes and his shoes before stepping out.

Severus murmured a levitation spell on the large object. Doing so kept his entire attention, since the matter he was lifting was so massive. He didn't want to drop it back in the water and risk getting his entire body soaked and filthy with the tide of grime that would come his way.

Once he got the figure out of the water, he slowly turned around to set it in better lighting. He placed the long body down on the damp floor, sweat beading on his forehead. It was difficult to keep such a heavy thing aloft.

Severus blinked at what he had fished out of the water, not completely comprehending what he was seeing. The creature's sheer _size_ had surpassed every expectation Severus had - therefore leaving him speechless and baffled.

Harry and Nagini came up behind him. He hummed. "Somehow, it looks smaller than it did in second year," he said dismissively.

Severus tore his eyes off the gargantuan basilisk. He had temporarily forgotten that Harry had battled this thing when he was around twelve years old. Harry was staring almost wistfully at the snake. Severus croaked. "Smaller?"

Harry started. "Hm? Oh, yeah. I could have fit into its mouth. Not that I've grown _much_ since then, but still." He threw his arms up awkwardly.

Severus shook his stupor off. He walked forward and knelt before the head of the serpent. The creature's eyes seemed to have been severely scratched off, and there was a gaping stab wound going through its forehead. He remembered seeing the sword of Gryffindor in the Headmaster's office a while back, and the only explanation Dumbledore gave for it was, "It came in handy for Harry this year."

He ran his hand down the feather-less crest of the basilisk's skull. The lack of fiery red plumes along the head signified that the creature was female. This information wasn't phenomenal in the grand scheme of things, but it was important to Severus. He may know some truly useful things, but he also had a love for trivia.

Severus couldn't believe how humble the young man was. It was obvious that he legitimately thought fighting this serpent wasn't too large of a feat, even though it was a good twenty meters long. The average basilisk (or so he read) was only fifteen meters. The creature's body came up to his waist, even at the head.

Although, he had to ask himself - _was_ this even a grand triumph for Harry? He had been exposed to many horrendous things in his lifetime.

With his hand still pressed to the creature's forehead, a thought struck him. He glanced over at Harry, who had wandered over to Salazar Slytherin's huge head, a pensive look on his face.

"Harry… many expensive… almost priceless… things can be found in a basilisk's body. I was wondering if you would let me dissect its body to salvage these things?" The body of a basilisk has the ability to resist decay for years upon years. It was almost rarer to see the skeleton of a basilisk than to see a live one.

Harry turned his head. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead. I think Salazar wouldn't mind the remains of his pet being used for a purpose, instead of sitting here and rotting."

Severus could barely contain his enthusiasm. "Yes, you are probably correct." He focused back on the serpent's body, and started to plot when and where he would start dissecting. He was in the process of discerning where the creature's huge heart must be when he heard Harry gasp and Nagini hiss loudly.

Fearing the young man had run into something unsavory, Severus jumped up and turned around immediately. Instead of being greeted with the image of Harry being attacked by something, he saw Slytherin's stony mouth somehow gape even wider than it was before.

For some reason, Harry seemed nonplussed. "Is the key to every place around here the word 'open?' I wonder what would happen if I said 'open' to every snake or fixture in this place."

Severus chuckled. "I wonder. But, let us examine this passageway you have found for us first." He had never labeled himself as being overly curious, but he felt as if something important lay inside Salazar's mouth. His mind did a small double take. He never thought he would be in the position to ever even _think_ those words.

He hurried over to where Harry and Nagini had vanished inside the mouth of the bust. He traveled in silence for a few meters of pitch darkness before he emerged into a _huge_ room. The best way he could describe it would be a library that spanned far above. So far, in fact, he could hardly see the ceiling. It was a slanted funnel that extended overhead, almost like a snake's den.

Severus had heard many speculations about Salazar Slytherin's mythic, sacrosanct athenaeum. When he was younger, he loved to read about the conjectures that people would come up with, trying to figure out if the place even existed, and if it did, where it resided. As he got older, however, he ceased his research for something more practical - potions.

Yet, no matter how much Severus had fantasized and envisioned, what he saw in front of him surpassed all of his dreams. Almost in a rapture, he moved forward to one of the closest shelves and picked up a large tome with ginger fingers. He looked at the title, and found that he couldn't decipher the language on the front. He opened the book up. It was the same all throughout the pages - illegible writing that looked like a cross between chicken scratches and calligraphy.

Severus closed the book, and turned around. Harry was across the room, hissing quietly to Nagini, an open volume in his hands as well. Severus carefully slid the tome back into where it came from and strode over to where the young man stood.

Harry's eyes flicked upwards to him briefly before he offered the book page for him to read. "Do you see this? The author obviously knows how parselmagic works! Do you think that all the books in this place are similar?"

Severus squinted at the page he was presented. The entire surface was covered with the chicken-calligraphy he had seen earlier. "You can read this balderdash?" he said incredulously.

"Yeah, it's written in English," Harry said, clearly confused.

Severus arched an eyebrow. Then, he glanced down at Nagini, then at Harry. This was Salazar Slytherin's library. It would make sense if every book here was written in parseltongue.

They may have just uncovered their trump card in the entire war.

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

_Hey, remember me? I apologize for the long wait for this chapter! Like many writers, I had to take a bit of a hiatus. If felt as if my creative energy was being squeezed out by school, family, and other things. I learned something personal about myself that I never thought I'd have to deal with, but turns out, you can't repress something of that scale. During my little break, my writing skills (if you could even call them skills) seemed to mount on each other, until I could barely hold them in anymore. Hence, the chapter here._

_I hope you all have great days!_


	21. The Lifted Curse

When Harry and Severus emerged from the Chamber of Secrets, he had the largest grin on his face. It really was incredible that he got to go back down there, and see the place again. Mercifully, Myrtle was nowhere in sight.

He tilted his head over to look at Severus. The potions master had a pensive expression on his face, obviously mulling over what they had found. They had spent almost an hour culling through various books, searching for information that they could use.

There had been a section solely for potions books. Harry could tell that the man was seriously intrigued by it, because he had used half his time down there reading aloud one to Severus. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that they had not discovered everything down there, so it was a given that they were to go into the Chamber at another time.

Both he and Severus were carrying armloads of tomes that the older man had deemed important. Harry was planning on spending his afternoon drawing and translating the books to English. After dropping the books off at the dungeons, Severus was most likely going to report this to Dumbledore.

Harry pushed back the intense rush of impending doom that inadvertently rose up in his heart when he thought of the headmaster and his critical condition. There was no use for worrying about it if there was nothing he could-

Wait.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks, startling Severus and Nagini.

What if there was something he _could_ do?

Severus turned around with a slightly annoyed expression, until he saw Harry's face. Then, it morphed into thinly veiled concern. "What is it?" he asked shortly.

Harry didn't respond. He started to rush towards a stairwell, and instead of going down, he went up. The infirmary was a floor above them. The books in his arms hardly weighed him down as he sprinted up the stairs, adrenaline rushing through his veins.

"Harry! Harry, slow down!" Severus shouted, running after him. "What has gotten into you?"

He began to slow down when he got to the infirmary doors. "We are such idiots, we are such idiots," Harry said over and over. He pushed them open with his shoulder, startling Madam Pomfrey, who was organizing sets of rags on a nearby shelf. Nagini caught up with him the fastest, slightly coiling behind him.

Harry quickly set down the books and sped over to the headmaster. The old man was lightly sleeping, but he abruptly woke up when Harry skidded to a stop.

"Harry, my boy-" Dumbledore sleepily started, but Harry cut him off."

"Professor, I think there's a way that we can save your life," he said in one breath.

Severus ran into the room, stopping short when he almost stepped on Nagini. "Har - Harry, what are you doing?"

Harry's head whipped around. He was still breathing heavily from the sprint up the stairs - he needed to work out. "I think there's a way that we can heal the headmaster!"

Every adult in the room began to speak. "How do you-"

"How can that-"

"What is-"

Harry held his hands above his head, silencing the entire room. "Professor, do you remember my… special… magic?" he addressed Severus.

The man's eyes widened, and he placed his head in one hand. "Why, why did I not think of this sooner?" he groaned.

This was so out of character that Harry's mouth almost gaped open. Instead, he nodded exaggeratedly.

Madam Pomfrey looked bewildered. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

Harry all but ignored her, his eyes flicking over to her before resting back on Severus. "Do you think it would be wise to do this right now? Sir?" he asked the potions master.

The man nodded. "Yes, as soon as possible."

When Harry whipped his wand out, that was the end of Madam Pomfrey's rope. "No, no, no! You will explain what you are about to do to my patient!" The mediwitch looked sufficiently irritated.

Harry glanced over at Severus. The man gritted his teeth, but nodded for him to tell her. "Okay. So, remember when I had spoken parseltongue, and the beautiful patronus showed up?" The matron nodded. "The stag apparently has some magical, curse-breaking power. He healed the cuts on my face, remember?"

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips in thought, remembering the shocking white creature. "I suppose that you are wishing to use this magic on the headmaster?"

Harry and Severus nodded their heads. The mediwitch crossed her arms, and begrudgingly gave her assent.

Harry lifted his wand, and advised everyone to close their eyes. "I don't think anyone wants to go blind." He glanced at Nagini, shut his eyes, and filled himself with his happiest memories. "_Expecto Patronum!"_

As expected, the room was flooded with a bright white light. It took a grand total of thirty seconds before Harry felt as if he could _squint_ at the brilliant creature before him. The stag seemed to know what to do, as he was already over at the headmaster's bedside. The being closed its eyes, and placed his nose over the affected hand.

No one could see any effect taking place visibly, but after a few long minutes, the stag seemed satisfied with its work. The headmaster's eyebrows were furrowed, but his eyes were twinkling.

The stag stared into Dumbledore's eyes, and the old man nodded his head at it with a serious expression on his face. It turned, gracefully avoiding the fragile magical equipment that was closing it in somewhat.

The creature returned back to Harry, understanding that its job was done. Harry rested his palm on its forehead, and whispered a soft thanks. The patronus vanished, his wand absorbing wisps of bright light. In the wake of the stag's absence, the room seemed so much darker.

Severus strode over to Dumbledore, and they looked into each other's eyes for a solid minute. The potions professor seemed to find what he was looking for, and he stepped back with a slightly impressed expression.

"It seems that the curse has exited his system. However…" they all looked down at the headmaster's still black hand. "It seems as if the physical damage was unable to be removed." Harry saw Severus's eyes flick up to his face, as if to say, _This has happened before._

Madam Pomfrey bustled forward, satisfied to hear that the magical maladies had been eliminated. Everyone backed away as she waved her wand, checking to see if anything had changed. Her eyebrows scrunched in concentration. A few minutes later, she lifted her wand. "There are no apparent side effects from this… healing your patronus did," she said shortly.

Dumbledore stroked a hand on his chin, looking deeply pensive.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry collapsed on the couch of the louge, feeling accomplished. He had not only found an entire library full of information about the elusive parseltongue, he had managed to find a way to save the headmaster from an untimely end. He saw Nagini from the corner of his eye, and he began excitedly speaking to her about the events of the day. She responded just as enthusiastically, apparently overjoyed about the fact that not all was lost for the light side.

It was almost sundown by the time Dudley came down the stairs into the room. Harry was napping lightly on the couch, entwined with his snake. Dudley honestly didn't see how the wizard could _stand_ being that close to a snake all the time, but he guessed he shouldn't judge. He had hung out around people that were close enough to being snakes, so his argument would be moot. Harry did seem relaxed, an expression that he seemed to lack most of the time. It was healthy for him to wind down.

Dudley glanced around the room, looking to see if the potions master was anywhere in sight. Confirming that, yes, the intimidating man was nowhere to be seen, he settles down in an armchair. The poor piece of furniture groaned under his weight. Dudley winced. He had desperately needed to follow his diet _years_ ago.

He looked at the pile of old-looking books that rested on the side table next to Harry. Professor Snape never really explained where they had been going for the day, and Dudley was practically _itching_ with curiosity.

He reached over and slid the top book off of the stack. He opened up the first page, and squinted. _Huh?_ he thought. The entire piece of paper was _filled_ with absolute _gibberish_. Slashes and squiggles marked almost every blank space with no rhyme or reason.

"What do you think you are doing?" a dark, nasal voice intoned right behind his ear.

Dudley jumped a mile. "Professor!" he yelped, clutching his chest. Harry and Nagini stirred, and both of their heads turned towards the young man. When he settled back down, they resumed.

"Why do you have that book in your sweaty palms?" the man snarled.

Dudley got up from the chair as fast as he could, putting some distance between himself and the angry professor. "I- I was just curious a-about where you three had gone earlier today, and I saw these books, I didn't mean any harm to them!" he stuttered while setting the book down hastily.

The man sneered. "You do know what they say - 'Curiosity killed the cat.'"

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Narcissa Malfoy eyed her husband, who was trying to discreetly get out of their bed in the middle of the night. It was a foolish endeavor, since she was a very light sleeper. She always had been. He was clasping his left arm close to his chest in a way that suggested that his accursed mark was bothering him, yet again.

"Lucius," Narcissa mumbled, almost too tired to be exasperated. "Is your mark of servitude bothering you?"

Lucius turned agitated eyes over to look at her. She knew how much he hated his scar being called that, but her judgement was dulled thanks to how late in the evening it was. "Yes, one could say that," he hissed, while harshly presenting his forearm outwards.

Narcissa couldn't help but let out a small gasp.

Now fully awake, she couldn't help but stare at the small, inky, poisonous viper that was crawling up and down Lucius's skin.

_**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**_

_Wow. This lockdown my state has been in has hit us hard. I haven't gone outside of my neighborhood in weeks! Thank you for waiting patiently for this next chapter. Schoolwork hasn't been the only thing I've been procrastinating on!_


	22. Boggart

_"Lucius," Narcissa mumbled, almost too tired to be exasperated. "Is your mark of servitude bothering you?"_

_Lucius turned agitated eyes over to look at her. She knew how much he hated his scar being called that, but her judgement was dulled thanks to how late in the evening it was. "Yes, one could say that," he hissed, while harshly presenting his forearm outwards._

_Narcissa couldn't help but let out a small gasp._

_Now fully awake, she couldn't help but stare at the small, inky, poisonous viper that was crawling up and down Lucius's skin._

_HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_

Severus Snape threw dark Death Eater robes over his shoulders. He put his mask in one of the expansive pockets, so he could put it on right before apparating to the site where the Dark Lord wished for him to appear.

Tonight's calling felt especially painful. Usually, when the Dark Mark flared up, it felt like someone had lit his arm on fire. This time, however, gave him the feeling that someone was pressing a hot iron onto his flesh. Severus desperately hoped the Dark Lord wasn't angry… especially not at him.

A niggling thought at the back of his head warned him to not go to that night's meeting. He ignored that voice, pushing it back. If he wasn't spying for the headmaster, what was he good for? He had no other life purpose. _But what if you do?_

He ignored the voice, yet again.

Severus scribbled down a message to Harry on a piece of parchment, in case the young man were to wake up and notice he was gone. It explained that he was away at a meeting. He would know what that meant. He left the note resting on the table in front of the mirror close to the front doors. Typically the man avoided looking at the mirrors in his house, but something… drew him to look at his face. Something about it seemed different. Severus never was a vain person, but something did look markedly disparate. Did the stress lines on his face look less severe? Or maybe his mouth appeared less downturned? He couldn't really tell, not in this terrible lighting.

He silently strode out the front doors. He was careful to be quiet, lest he disturb the three inhabitants inside. He knew that Harry was a very light sleeper. He cautiously let the door close.

Severus disapparated with a very audible _pop._

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry sat up, startled. Nagini's head rose sleepily at his sudden movement, curious. A loud sound had woken him up, and his mind was filled with a sense of foreboding. As if in a dream, he pushed back his covers and set his feet on the floor. It was moments like these when he was glad that he slept with a shirt and trousers on.

Nagini uncoiled as best as she could from the bedframe. Harry couldn't help but wonder if it was hard being such a huge snake. Her muscles shuddered as she stretched out as far as she was able. "_What issss it, Army-Leader?"_ she hissed quietly.

"_I heard a noissse coming from outside,"_ Harry responded. "_I think it'ssss worth invessstigating."_

Careful not to wake Dudley, picked up his wand tip-toed out of the room. Nagini did the best she could. It sounded like the sound came somewhere near the front doors, so he made his way over there. There didn't seem to be anything amiss with the scene he saw. He shot a confused look over to his snake, and placed his hand on the doorknob.

Before he opened it, however, his eye caught a slip of white paper that was resting on a table that was about waist height. He picked it up, not really expecting to see anything other than a blank sheet. Surprisingly, it had writing on it.

_Harry, if you are reading this, you must have woken in the night to see me absent. I will be succinct- the Dark Lord has called me to a meeting. You have no reason to worry. DO NOT COME AFTER ME, LIKE I KNOW YOU ARE PRONE TO DOING._

_~ Severus Snape_

Harry's brows furrowed. Did Severus think he was an idiot? Of course he wouldn't go after him. (A/N: Oh, really?)

He relayed this discovery to Nagini, who had been waiting patiently for what the paper had said. The snake curled in on herself, seeming anxious. Did she know something he didn't?

Before he got the chance to ask, a muffled _thud_ came from upstairs. Stuffing the paper inside his pants pocket, he quietly tiptoed over to the staircase. He paused at the banister, wondering if he should investigate or not. _Probably was just the house settling in its foundations,_ his mind supplied helpfully.

_Yeah._ He shook off the creeping sense of foreboding that snuck up his spine. He made it about half the way up before another sound came echoing through the room. He raised an eyebrow, rationalizing that it would be best to look and see what it was. Surely, Severus had put spells around the house to prevent things with malicious intent from entering. Right?

Against better instinct, he went all the way up and turned left. The next time the _thump_ happened, he saw a wardrobe in the hallway shudder. It startled him some, making him jump a few inches in the air. He glanced over at Nagini, and she shook her head vigorously. He pursed his lips as the closet rattled again, and curiosity won out over the inclination to _run_.

He held his wand to the side as he threw the closet door open. Harry immediately jumped back in shock as a mass of black fell to the floor. He almost hexed the thing before it let out an _awfully_ familiar groan.

_Severus?_

Sure enough, a black hood dropped down to reveal a face he knew all too well. Severus had blood all over his face, and was convulsing on the ground. To Harry's horror, the man began to weep inconsolably as a pool of blood grew around them.

Casting his wand to the side, he knelt down next to the suffering man. "Severus, Severus, what _happened_?" he asked frantically. He nearly started to hyperventilate, but he calmed himself just in time. The potions master needed him to be calm and level-headed.

He picked up the wand he had discarded, and with a shaky hand, he cast "_Scourgify_" in an attempt to clean the blood and tears from his face. To his surprise, nothing seemed to happen. He cast the spell again, worried that he had accidentally messed it up. Still, nothing occurred.

Harry blinked and put his wand down. He grabbed his sleeve in his hand and tried to wipe the blood manually. Once again, nothing happened. "Severus?" Harry tried to call to him, but the man didn't seem to hear him. "_Severus!"_ he tried louder, but still, he didn't respond.

It was then that Harry realized something was amiss. No matter how much pain the professor was in, he would have communicated with him at some point. He took a deep breath, and noticed that he had come from a closet. He began getting flashbacks from third year Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

Harry suddenly knew what he had to do. He picked his wand up again, pointed it at 'Severus,' and shouted "_Riddikulus!_" The pseudo-Severus convulsed once on the floor, growling at him. Oh, yeah. To really get rid of a boggart, one had to think of something funny it could turn into. But.. how on earth could he make _this_ funny? He hoped that the blood soaking the floor wasn't permanent.

Nagini was frozen, strickenly staring at the man that seemed to be bleeding out on the hardwood. Harry grimaced and thought of a fish flopping on the ground. "_Riddikulusssss!"_ he shouted, unaware that he had slipped into parseltongue.

A blue light shot toward the boggart, surprising both Nagini and Harry. The light wove around the creature, with a faint whistling and clicking sound. The light faded somewhat, and Harry saw the salmon that he had imagined wiggling on the floor. Clicking with a happy tone, an azure blue dolphin playfully circled around his body.

Harry chuckled, delighted. What an adorable creature! The dolphin nudged his jaw, and it felt like his worry was drained away, leaving his muscles relaxed. The aquatic mammal then turned its snout towards the boggart, who was still flopping on the ground.

The dolphin charged the boggart, and when its snout touched it, the evil creature burst into a cloud of black, billowing smoke. A shrieking scream was let out as the smoke dissipated, and only the brilliant bottlenose was left behind.

With a friendly chatter, the dolphin bowed its body towards Harry and Nagini. It touched its nose to Harry's wand, and dissipated into the air. Harry sighed as the creature's calming aura swept over them one last time.

A few moments later, however, the good feelings started to trickle away. What he had seen was… disturbing, to say the least. He couldn't help but worry for Severus.

"_What wasss that?"_ Nagini asked, looking concerned.

Before Harry could answer, the door at the other end of the hallway opened. Dudley stepped out, with a look of foreboding on his face. When he only saw the young wizard and his snake, his visage morphed into one of confusion. "What was all that noise I heard coming from here?"

"It was a boggart," Harry answered. He also relayed this information to Nagini. She nodded her head, suddenly understanding. "They take the shape of your worst fear."

Dudley blinked, stunned. "There is a _lot_ I don't know." He shrugged. "I dunno why this is hitting me suddenly, but…" The large boy went backwards awkwardly. "I'll just- you know what? G'night." He vanished into the room, and shut the door.

Harry felt like there was some humor to be felt in this situation, but what he had just seen was jarring. His worry for Severus's well being increased tenfold.

"_Hey, Nagini?"_ Harry asked.

"_Yessss, Army-Leader? What isss it? You look worried."_ She nudged his thigh with her nose, concerned.

"_Do you think Sssevere-Ssstern is okay?"_ Harry feared the absolute worst when she didn't reply. "_Nagini, do you know sssomething? Issss he...?"_ He started to pace.

Nagini opened her mouth, seeming to contemplate what she was going to say. "_Well… one night in the infirmary, I felt the presssenccce of the Forsssaken One in my mind. Sssevere-Ssstern was sssiting next to your bed, and I am unsssure if thisss did anything to hissss trustworthinessss in the Forsssaken One'sss mind."_

Harry groaned and slid down the wall. "_Why, why doessss it have to be thisss way? Why doessss he have to put himssself into danger every other night?"_

Nagini twisted part of herself around his body, squeezing slightly. "_I don't know, Army-Leader. All we can really do is hope that he'ssss okay."_

The letter of warning that Severus had given him was all but forgotten, crumpled up in his pants pocket. Harry felt like the inevitability of Severus's death was impending, coming upon him unbidden. He felt a panic attack coming on, but the weight of his companion's body grounded him. Harry focused on the texture of Nagini's coils… totally not on how Severus could be experiencing the same torture he had happen to _him_… enough, enough. _I don't need to think about that, and do something rash._

No matter how much Nagini tried to comfort him, he kept getting more and more anxious. Eventually, he jumped up and started to pace, yet again.

_I remember the thing that happened in Hogsmeade. What if that was a trap set by Voldemort? I want to go after him, but if I do, that might make things worse. But, if I'm inactive, that ALSO could make things worse… if I'm supposedly the _boy who lived, _why do I feel so scared? If that dumb prophecy was truly about me, would I even hesitate?_

With a rapidly beating heart, Harry made a decision. He silently walked back to his room. Dudley had already fallen back to sleep, unaware of the dilemma Harry was going through. He gave a long look at his vacant bed, contemplating his choice. Then, solidifying his resolve, he grabbed his Firebolt and went back out.

Harry stood before the doors that led into Severus's room. Biting his lower lip, he wondered if there were any protective spells that guarded this entry. There probably were. _Is this a good idea? _he doubted for a split second. Then he shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts.

He glanced at Nagini, and raised his arm. "_Alohomora!"_ An awfully familiar chittering sound erupted from his wand. A black and white creature leapt out at the door, making Harry jump back in a bit of surprise.

It was a raccoon, and instead of glowing, the animal seemed to _suck_ all the light from the surrounding area. His mouth dropped slightly open as the raccoon's fingers seemed to _elongate_. It stuck the fingers into the lock on the door, and a split second later, it _clicked_ open. The creature had broken the locking spell on the door, as well as dismantling all of the protective spells in place.

_Wow,_ Harry thought. _This magic is really powerful._ The raccoon, with one last chatter, vanished into smoke. The remnants of the creature sped back into his wand.

Harry readied himself to cast yet another spell. He breathed deeply and took a wide stance. Holding his wand out, he whispered, "_Accio invissssibility cloak!"_

As he was expecting, light did come from his wand - but this time it was yellow. A shaggy golden retriever barked as it went to go get his cloak from the interiors of Severus's room. Harry cringed as the dog loudly burst through a closet door and came back with the silvery cloth.

Harry couldn't help himself. He knelt down and said softly, "Aww, who's a good boy? Or girl? You are - that's right," he grinned as the dog rolled over to show its belly. He rubbed it for a few seconds, before getting up. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now."

The dog seemed to understand him. It stood up, mouth stretched into a friendly grin. The retriever touched its nose to the wand, and vanished.

"_Army-Leader, what isss happening? What are you doing?"_ Nagini inquired, confused.

"_I've decccided that I'm going to do sssomething about thisss sssituation. He's probably being tortured _thisss very ssssecond, _and I can't jussst _sssit _here, can I?"_

"_I don't think thisss isss a very wissse decccision,"_ She insisted, but Harry was all but deaf to her words. The fact that her hatchling was ignoring her made her slightly agitated. She followed him down the stairs, hissing softly. She was quietly cursing Harry's tendency to be a bit bone-headed.

"_If you are ssso determined to do thisss little ssstunt of yoursss, I am coming with you. That isss non-negotiable."_

Harry absently nodded. "Yes._Yesss, you can come."_

He went back into his room and pulled a random cloak of his out of the closet. He threw it over his shoulders, meeting Nagini outside of his room. The snake was looking apprehensive, but Harry couldn't blame her.

He went downstairs as quietly as he could manage, and scribbled down a message for Dudley. It was for if he woke up and saw the house empty. It read:

_Hey Dudley, I've gone away to do something. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine._

_~Harry_

Harry scanned the letter for spelling and grammar mistakes before setting it where he had found Severus's letter earlier. He briefly wondered if it was too vague, before shrugging. Silently, he opened the door and waited for Nagini to exit, before following her.

After casting a feather-light charm on the serpent, he allowed her to wrap herself as best she could around his body. Without thinking much about his decision, he mounted his firebolt and launched himself into the sky.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Dudley tossed and turned in his horribly creaky bed. He had heard and seen _many_ very questionable things tonight, and he was having a hard time getting to sleep. After he had woken up to an _awful_ wailing sound and went to investigate, he had gone right back to bed. That was… too much.

He had heard the room's door open again. Harry (at least, he _guessed_ it was Harry - his eyes were closed) had walked in and grabbed something from his closet. Soon after the person had left the room, he heard a dog bark a few times, before everything was silent again for the rest of the night.

He didn't hear Harry come back to his room that night, but he was too exhausted to care.

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

RIP to my sleep schedule while writing this. These last few nights have been spent on writing and revising this last chapter. Maybe I'll actually get some sleep? Lol, probably not. I'm too addicted to reddit for a good night's sleep : )

Although, I am kinda proud of finishing this one. I've been having a few family issues lately, but they've all settled, thankfully!


	23. Rebellion

_He had heard the room's door open again. Harry (at least, he guessed it was Harry - his eyes were closed) had walked in and grabbed something from his closet. Soon after the person had left the room, he heard a dog bark a few times, before everything was silent again for the rest of the night._

_He didn't hear Harry come back to his room that night, but he was too exhausted to care._

_HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_

Severus sat ramrod straight in his chair. Voldemort was circling the Malfoys' expansive dining room that was filled to the brim with his followers and supporters. Something _big_ was happening tonight, and he didn't have a good feeling about it.

The Dark Lord had a particularly odd glint in his eye… it was the type of gleam that did not bode well for anyone involved. Nights like this were always the most frightening. No one ever knew if the wizard was in a rare good mood, or an extremely bad one. What alarmed him the most was the fact that the Dark Lord had _not once_ made eye contact with him. Usually, he was given a glance over in his direction that tipped him off to where the night was headed.

This time, there was nothing.

"Do any of you have an idea… _why_… we are meeting here today?" the wizard asked. Severus felt an inexplicable shiver run down his spine. He felt as if a spotlight was being pointed directly at him, even though they were in a dark room and no one was looking in his general direction.

A bead of sweat rolled down his neck when a few seconds of silence passed. "...Nobody?" the Dark Lord murmured. "It's a shame that nobody knows… _why_… we have assembled." By then, his back was turned on all of them.

Yet again, no one dared utter a word.

The Dark Lord chuckled. Severus had heard the dark wizard laugh before, and it was never a pleasant sound. However, this time, his laughter caused a chill of utmost horror and revulsion to rack his frame. He wondered what caused this extreme reaction, but he had a creeping feeling as to _why_. He just wasn't certain that he could completely wrap his mind around the fact that one of his worst nightmares was coming out to play.

Still with his back turned, the Dark Lord continued. "It has been brought to my attention, in these past few weeks, that we might have a few… traitors in our ranks." He looked over his shoulder, his stark red pupils almost gleaming in the darkness. Yet again, his eyes never met Severus.

"Let me give you all a bit of history. A few days ago, I decided to do an… experiment." Severus felt another shock of fear strike his spinal cord. Even though he was certain his fate was sealed, he had a faint, rebellious strand of hope remaining in his soul. Perhaps he wasn't speaking about the Hogsmeade invasion that never happened. Perhaps this "experiment" was something else entirely.

"The disloyalty I had seen in my ranks was… alarming, to say the least. To have some of my most steadfast followers run to _Dumbledore_… It made me question the trustworthiness of _everyone_ here." The scarlet eyes slowly blinked once.

The Dark Lord began nonchalantly stalking the room once more. "I tested a great many of my disciples. I falsely informed each of them that there was going to be an invasion or an attack at different points, at different dates." His serpentine mouth twisted up into a gruesome smile. "Every one of my followers arrived at the set place, with no one else along with them."

"For that, I am very… _proud_ of the ones who were tested." The Dark Lord abruptly stopped his pacing. "However…"

Severus could've sworn he felt his heart stop.

"There was one. There was one of my followers that _did_ bring someone alongside them. A _great_ many people. A host of Aurors and members of Dumbledore's special unit. This person was, in fact, the one I _least_ expected to rebel." Almost all of the Dark Lord's supporters' eyes started flicking around, trying to pick out who seemed the most suspicious or likely. Severus felt one pair of eyes on him. He sought out the follower who was looking at him, and he found Bellatrix boring her haunted stare into the back of his skull.

Severus averted his eyes, fixing his gaze upon the Dark Lord once more. "Can any of you guess who the culprit may be?" he mumbled, sounding supremely dangerous and unstable.

People began shaking their heads slightly with murmurs of "No, my Lord," and "We cannot."

"I believe you will be as shocked as I was when I discovered the truth." The wizard's gleaming, sharp grin could be seen in the shadows as his blood red eyes met Severus's for the first time that night.

"... Severus, would you meet me up here?"

It took all of Severus's courage to get up from his seat and gracefully walk up to where the Dark Lord was standing. He took a slow deep breath through his nose as he stood a few feet away from the wizard.

Voldemort set one clammy hand upon his shoulder, and it took incredible willpower not to flinch away. He could feel all of the followers staring at him. Some in shock, others in disbelief, and a few in disdain.

The Dark Lord had a mock disappointed expression on his face. "Severus…" he whispered. "Why have you done this to me?" Even though his tone was very low and quiet, his words echoed through the room like a clarion trumpet.

Severus schooled his expression into one of calm and acceptance, even though his emotions were running wild on the other side of his occlumency shield. This would probably be his last night alive. He had so many regrets. He never vocally said goodbye to Harry. He never apologized for the awful things he had done to so many people. He had an array of things he felt he needed to accomplish, but he never got any of them done.

"How did you manage to gain Dumbledore's trust?" the Dark Lord asked softly. "After all the things you had done to serve me, how did that old coot accept you into his ranks? Was it your obvious grief after I had killed that filthy mudblood - that Potter girl?" He narrowed his crimson eyes. "I thought you had finally gotten over her worthless death. Turns out I was… misssstaken."

The Dark Lord raised his wand suddenly, and Severus couldn't help but flinch and take out his as well. However quick he was, he wasn't fast enough. Strong ropes encased his arms to his side and buckled his knees. His wand clatters to the floor. Severus keeps his head bowed, staring at his way of escape slowly rolling away from his reach.

"I will give you one more chance, Severus. An option for escape, if you will." Severus's eyebrows creased in confusion. "Your services are invaluable for my cause. The potions you have created for us have saved us on multiple occasions. I will allow you to live, but you will have to agree to these conditions."

The Dark Lord smirked at the top of the potions master's head. "You will never go back to Hogwarts, never go back to Dumbledore. You will agree to have tracking and observation spells cast upon you, and you will have a guard watching you at all times of the day. I will add more precautions as I see fit in the future."

There were a few seconds of absolute silence as the Dark Lord let his words sink in. Severus's wand hit the leg of the dining room table, stopping its progression across the floor. The sound reverberated through the room like a clap of thunder.

"So…" the dark wizard hummed. "Is it a deal?"

The Dark Lord obviously thought he had won. He thought he had made a proposition that no one could refuse. His life would be spared, so long as he stopped working for the side of the Light. If he was being honest, the idea of living another day was very appealing. It would be for anyone. However, Severus had made up his mind a _long_ time ago - if this situation ever happened, he had prepared a response.

Severus slowly lifted his head to meet the stare of the Dark Lord. His vermillion eyes were very smug, and the potions professor had the utmost privilege of wiping that expression right off his face.

Looking through the stringy hair over his eyes, Severus let his eyebrows go down into a scowl. "I'm afraid it's not a deal I can agree with. I will no longer work for you…"

"Tom."

The final nail was cracked into his coffin with the last, damning syllable he uttered. Voldemort's expression melted from poorly concealed glee to short-lived dismay, to, finally, roiling anger.

The room crackled with the energy coming off from the Dark Lord's enraged body. No matter how fearful Voldemort's face got, he kept staring directly into his eyes. Even when the wizard was raising his wand arm over his head, opening his mouth to scream a spell that was no doubt one of the unforgivables.

"_Crucio!"_ He watched as the wand came down almost in slow motion, and the curse was shrieked. He could almost see the invisible stream of magic that was headed towards his body. Severus Snape closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry shivered under his cloak. He was soaring over London, silently regretting his decision to try and find Severus. The man knows what he's doing, he's probably okay. In his note, he had said specifically _not_ to come after him. The spell he had placed on Nagini was about to wear off, and he wouldn't be able to re-cast it. Since he was outside the Haven or Hogwarts, the Trace would find him and he would be caught. He didn't trust the Ministry as far as he could throw it. Which was not far.

Nagini tightened around his body, obviously nervous that the invisibility cloak would fly off and they would be revealed to the entirety of the people below them. If Harry's calculations were correct, they had about five minutes before the feather-light spell wore off and the full weight of his companion's coils would weigh him down.

Making another split second decision, he started hovering above an alleyway, checking to see if there was anyone in it. Seeing nobody, he landed his broom quietly and removed his invisibility cloak. He wrapped it around his broomstick, hiding it from sight. He set it down next to a garbage can, and Nagini slid off his body.

"_What'sss the plan?"_ Nagini hissed.

Harry paused. He honestly didn't know. In his frantic haze, he had completely disregarded the fact that he wasn't informed of the whereabouts of Voldemort's meeting. He had also completely lost his sense of direction on the way over. Harry had no clue where he was. It didn't help that he had very limited knowledge on the streets and sidewalks of London.

"_Um…"_ Harry rummaged his pockets for something, anything. He felt the wood of his wand in his right pocket, and nothing more. He then focused on his left pocket, and he felt all the way down. He felt a slip of paper brush against his index finger, and he fished it out.

He squinted in the dim light to read what it said. It was a phone number. Suddenly, Harry remembered little Vickie's family, Gwen and Nigel. He had happened to grab the same robe he had worn when he met them.

Harry pursed his lips into a thin line. He _really_ didn't want to bother them, but he may have no other choice. He couldn't contact Dumbledore or any of the Order, because to do so would be using magic. The Ministry would find him faster than they could.

"_Remember that family I told you about?"_ Nagini lifted her head and nodded. As soon as they had gotten back from McDonald's, he had told the serpent all about their experiences with Vickie. "_Well, I happen to have a way to contact them. I really don't wanna bother them, esssspecially at this time of night, but I think it may be inevitable."_

Also, Harry had many possessions on him that were going to be… hard to explain. Not to mention his 'pet' snake who's species do not fit any muggle classification system. Also there were going to be questions about what he was doing out on the streets this late. Harry sighed deeply.

"_Well, Army-Leader, you do know the… complicationsss that come with this, right?"_

It was as if she had read his mind. "_Yesss, I do. It'sss the only choice we have, at thisss point."_ Harry facepalmed heavily. Wow, was he dumb. His panic attack induced stupidity had caused this mess.

Harry peeked out of the alleyway and looked up and down the street he was on. Sure enough, a little ways down, there was a phone booth that was empty. A few people were walking quickly down the street, because no one out at this time of night was on a leisurely stroll.

Ducking back into the alley, he turned to Nagini again. "_You ssstay here, with the sssstuff. I ssssee a telephone down the ssstreet, I'll be right back."_

The serpent was obviously still confused about the plan, but she trusted him. "_Alright."_

Harry stepped out into the dimly lit street as inconspicuous as he could manage. Although, it probably didn't matter. The people in London had probably seen stranger things than an oddly-dressed adolescent popping out of a dark alleyway.

He headed straight towards the phone booth before he stopped in his tracks. It had just occurred to him that he didn't have any money to make the call. He patted down his pockets once more, in a desperate attempt to find any Muggle coins that he could use. As he expected, he couldn't find any.

Harry groaned quietly. Of course, he would be stranded in the middle of Muggle London with no way to call for help other than performing magic and making himself known to the Ministry.

Awkwardly, he rose up onto his toes before bending down to search for coins. It was better to possibly make a fool of himself than to put himself under the eyes of the corrupt magical government.

He found no spare change around the booth itself, so he ambled over to a bus stop nearby. It took quite a long time, but he eventually found enough to make a single 3-minute call.

The phone rang four times before someone picked it up.

"_Hello?"_ a groggy feminine voice said.

"Hi," Harry said. "I'm so sorry to be calling you at this time of night, but I really need some help."

_**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**_

_Wow, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much! When I was writing the scene between Voldemort and Snape, I was listening to Atmospheric Gothic Horror Reading Music that was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and Edgar Allen Poe. It really set the mood! I totally recommend it if you're looking for a few spooks._

_Thanks for waiting for this update!_


End file.
